Will the success of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games encourage new swimmers!

Commonwealth Games Success

The success of the London Olympic Games 2012 saw a significant rise in people joining up to their local swimming pools and swimming clubs. This enthusiasm was extended further with the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow in July this year, where athletes from the commonwealth nations pushed themselves to their limits in a variety of sports.

 

There we some great wins for England and Scotland in the swimming pool based events, and they varied between standard swims based on timed results, as well as those which show a more creative and artistic side to the sport.

 

The most high profile win came in the mens individual 10m platform dive, with sporting celebrity Tom Daley taking gold in a fantastic performance. He also secured a silver medal in the mens double to make the games a personal success. This, along with his rising celebrity stock, could see the poster boy for swimming inspire more youngsters to take up the sport the more he remains in the spotlight. Ben Proud also won gold to show that Daley isn’t the only male athlete worthy of credit and plaudits.

 

It wasn’t just the men who performed well in the games however, as the English women took their own fair share of medals. Francesca Halsall added to her haul of gold medals and looks set to be the next star, following in Rebecca Adlington’s footsteps now that she has retired. Both the women and the men’s teams won medals in the 4x100m category to take the total of English medals up to 28 overall with 10 golds, 10 silvers and 8 bronze medals.

 

The Future of Swimming

It’s an exciting time for the sport as it begins to gain momentum; young stars are rising and there are certainly a number of athletes in line to become Olympic winners in Brazil in 2016. This is giving great encouragement and motivation to young swimmers throughout the UK and has increased the profile of the sport across the country.

 

But there are some who are sceptical about the impact of the Glasgow games. Following the London Olypmics is a big task, and while it might seem exciting at the time it should be noted that there are only a select few nations who take part in the Commonwealth Games. In comparison, the Olympics attracts attention from around the world and is held over 17 days, whereas the Glasgow games took up just 10 days and did not receive nearly as much global coverage in the news.

 

With both the standard of swimming being called into question as well as the number of people who will have seen the performances, critics say that the games won’t have nearly as much of an impact.

 

Regardless of these opinions, it’s undeniable that there were significant gains for the English swimming team, something which will add to fuel to the inspirational London Olympics. The UK swimming and diving stars of the Olympics and Commonwealth Games have undeniably have raised the profile of swimming over the last few years and have helped encourage the general public to take to the pool!

 

Here at H2O Swimming Pools we want to congratulate all the British swimmers on their performances. If you and your family would like to take inspiration from the games we can offer swimming pool construction and design services. Contact our professional team today to discuss your requirements and we’ll be happy to help.