An Olympic-sized swimming pool in north Wales would enable the next generation of swimming talent to train closer to home.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS Mabon ap Gwynfor has raised the issue in a written motion to the Senedd, paying tribute to Porthmadog star-swimmer Medi Harris who competed at this year’s Olympics in Paris.

Mr ap Gwynfor said an Olympic-sized pool in north Wales would enable up-and-coming swimmers to fulfil their sporting potential, providing more training opportunities for people in Gwynedd and Ynys Môn.

Elite swimmers from north, mid and west Wales are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to accessing training opportunities, given that Wales’ only Olympic-sized swimming pools are in Cardiff and Swansea. Many from north Wales travel across the border to Liverpool or Manchester to train and compete.

Mr ap Gwynfor said: “Swimming and indeed all aquatic sports should be available to everybody across Wales.

“It is vital that investment in sporting facilities and emerging sporting talent are fairly distributed.

“Swimmers from north Wales must travel to Cardiff or Swansea, or across the border to Liverpool or Manchester, to train in 50m Olympic-sized pools.

“This places undue pressure on swimmers, especially in the run-up to competitions or events, not to mention the added burden of travelling to and from these locations.

“The thought of having to travel up to five hours to train is enough to put some people off pursuing their ambitions.

“The success of elite swimmers such as Medi Harris from Porthmadog demonstrates the potential within our communities, but how many more swimmers could become elite athletes if they had access to training facilities closer to home.

“Establishing an Olympic-sized swimming pool in north Wales is long overdue. Both elite and up-and-coming swimmers living across north Wales deserve access to the most suitable training facilities for their sport.

“Our home-grown sporting talent should be afforded every opportunity to fulfil their potential and should not be dissuaded from pursuing their ambitions because of a lack of access to training facilities.

“I therefore call on the Welsh government to work with partners in north Wales to explore how this can be achieved.”