The Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, which has hosted many competitions such as international swimming competitions, will be closed due to renovation into an ice arena, and a ceremony was held.
Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center in Koto Ward, Tokyo, opened in August of Heisei 5, and has been called a "sacred place for swimming" with many competitions centered on swimming.
However, the nearby Tokyo Aquatics Center, which was the venue for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, will open to the public in April, and the swimming area will be renovated into an ice arena.
The ceremony, which was held before the museum closed on the 8st, was attended by Kosuke Kitajima, president of the Tokyo Swimming Association, who won two consecutive breaststroke titles at the two Olympic Games in Athens and Beijing, and officials from the Japan Swimming Federation.
In his address, President Kitajima looked back on the world record set at this swimming pool in 2008 and regretted the closure, saying, "It is a place full of good memories because I set a record myself, but I feel lonely again because of the tears of regret, joy, and sweat of the athletes."
At the venue, messages of memories and gratitude from the general public were also read aloud.
After the event, President Kitajima expressed his hope that many swimming competitions will be held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center in the future, saying, "I want the athletes to take on challenges without being bound by past successes and results, and I hope that drama will be created again."
The renovated ice arena is scheduled to open in the fall of Reiwa 7.