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 Another summer season is drawing to a close, and another year has gone by with no change with the condition of the Olympic swimming pool on the grounds of the old military base in Gournes. Oh, excuse us, there has been some change: a recent inspection of the site shows there is more breakage, more dirt, more refuse and more graffiti than ever before.
Last year, when we visited the site, we had to climb through one of the many gaping holes punched out of the Plexiglas wall surrounding the pool. This time, we just strolled in – as entire sections of the wall were ripped way.
"Shame on those responsible for letting such a place to go to waste," said the mother of a young schoolgirl who was passing at the time. "Every time we walk by here I get so upset. How wonderful it would be for the children. Instead, it's a disgrace."
 To see what a real Olympic swimming pool looks like, The Ko-Go Khronicles visited the one in Iraklion, next to the Pankritio Stadium. There we were met by Alexandros Dramitinos, president of the National Athletic Center, which operates the pool. He told us that eight different athletic organizations utilize the facilities, and on an average summer day about 300 people are splashing in the crystal clear waters. Some of the daily activities include swimming lessons, competitions, practice and training session and sporting events, like water polo.
"We have a full schedule," Mr. Dramitinos said. "We would love to be able to operate the pool in Gournes, instead of letting it waste away.
There are 200,000 people in the Iraklion province, and in the summer that number triples. But, the 'keys' to the Gournes pool are held by Dimitris Saris, governor of Iraklion, and, unfortunately, he hasn't given anyone the authority to develop that pool."
 According to Mr. Dramitinos, the Gournes pool was built during the previous
governor's administration with EU money, through the auspices of The Organization of Development for Eastern Crete. It was supposed to be a venue of the 2004 Athens Olympics, but at the last minute, after construction was completed, the event was cancelled. He was at a loss to explain why the pool remains unused to this day, except to use the catch-all phrase of it being a bureaucratic problem.
Well, local elections will be held October 15 – a good time for the citizens of the Gouves Demos to solve bureaucratic problems. We urge everyone to contact town hall and demand that our swimming pool be renovated in time for next summer.
Contact:
Tel: 28970 41205, 41789
Fax: 28970 41495
E-mail: dm-guv@her.forthnet.gr
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