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Belley defends savings on pool three centimeters too short

A local official says preserving competition length would have added a million euros to the renovation bill, while swimming organizers question the priorities.

Channel: TF1 INFO ·

FranceStory of October 31, 2026Trari Newsroom

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🏊‍♂️ Une piscine trop courte... de 3 centimètres !｜TF1 INFO

The missing three centimeters were a budget choice, a local official says. After a €13 million renovation, the swimming pool in Belley, eastern France, is too short to host official departmental competitions.

French broadcaster TF1 INFO reports that installing a stainless-steel shell reduced the pool's length to 24.97 meters instead of the required 25. The work formed part of a two-year renovation of the Bugey Sud aquatic center.

Jean-Michel Berthet, the Bugey-Sud intermunicipal authority's vice president responsible for buildings and roads, defends the decision. He says lengthening the pool would have cost another million euros, and argues that the authority must consider taxpayers' money.

Daniel Poncet, president of the Ain departmental swimming committee, rejects that reasoning. With such a large renovation budget, he argues, making the pool suitable for competition should have been the priority.

Swimmers interviewed in the water draw a distinction between competition and everyday use. One woman says she does not compete, so the shorter distance changes nothing for her. Another swimmer accepts that competitions will have to take place farther away.

According to the report, Ain has five other approved pools. The nearest is a 40-minute journey from Belley, leaving competitive swimmers with a longer trip even as recreational users enjoy the renovated facilities.

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