CASE. Dauphins du TOEC, the factory of champions: soon a “Swimming City” in Toulouse?
EXCLUSIVE. This is the project that could soon see the light of day in Toulouse, in the heart of the Ile du Ramier, on the site of the former exhibition center.
Not satisfied the Dolphins. Not content with already being the leading French club, Vincent Gardeau and his team still have great ambitions and fully intend to stay at the top. For this, the Dauphins du Toec, which are a bit cramped around the Castex swimming pool, need to grow. In order to achieve this, the president of the club and his team have embarked on an ambitious project which could see the light of day in one of the halls of the former Toulouse exhibition center.
The idea would be to rehabilitate Hall 7 of the exhibition center into a “Swimming City” which would house three pools open to everyone (school, leisure and competitions). And the president of the Toulouse club Vincent Gardeau does not lack arguments to defend his project: “In Toulouse, we are in a context of shortage of swimming pools. The current municipality has launched a “Pools Plan” and we can be grateful to them, but if it has the merit of existing, this plan is not ambitious enough to meet future demand”, he explains. . The city’s swimming pools are aging, like the covered pools of Nakache (the 50m pool dates from 1932).
The constant increase in swimming consumption pushes Vincent Gardeau to think bigger. “We want to set up a new infrastructure open to all with several basins. A learning pool for the little ones, a 25m indoor pool and a 50m outdoor pool. We are not yet claiming victory but things are progressing well. »
Coming out of the ground in 2025?
Today, discussions with the communities are well advanced but there has not yet been an official green light. This project, which has been under discussion for three years and has been slowed down by the Covid episode, is on the “right track”, according to our information.
If he were to succeed, the Dauphins du Toec club would enter another dimension. Beyond the quality of the equipment, the club sees things on a grand scale with the creation of a weight room worthy of the name, a center specializing in sports medicine (cardio, physio, osteo, dietetics, coaches mental…) but also the setting up of a living space for the Dolphins. Which so far does not really exist.
“We suffer from training in several swimming pools in Toulouse, the club has no center of life, regrets the president. This Swimming City will allow us to create a club house with restaurant and bar in order to develop more social life around the pools. »
If common ground is found between the decision-makers of the project, the Cité de lanage could see the light of day in 2025. Enough to envisage the future and remain, for a long time yet, the first club in France.