“There are many children in Sevran who don’t go on holiday, and learning to swim will enable them to take part in water sports activities such as waterskiing and kayaking and out-of-town trips, which will help us reduce the gap in terms of access to these activities,” Dhifallah explains.
Once the new Olympic pool is in place, the current pool will be repurposed outdoors, providing open-air swimming in a newly developed green space. The upgraded aquatics centre, designed to accommodate up to 1,500 people, will also feature wellness facilities, including a sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, cold bath, massage jets and training equipment, creating a vibrant hub for the entire community. “During the Games, there was a Club 2024 where we could watch the Games on a giant screen in the centre of Sevran,” says Dhifallah. “Even people who knew nothing about swimming came to watch and asked me questions. Everyone identified with what would be Sevran’s new pool. It was magical.”