Medellín Begins Renovations to Prepare for 2025 Panamerican Aquatic Games

With the start of construction on the César Zapata Aquatic Complex at the Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex, Medellín is preparing to be the official host of the 2025 Junior Pan American Swimming Games, which will take place from May 13 to 25.

“I’m happy to deliver this good news to the city, but above all, to our athletes. We must take care of them and honor the commitments we have made. Medellín is once again the epicenter of major international and national events. More tournaments and many more improvements to the physical infrastructure will follow,” said Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga.

1,280 athletes from the Americas will compete in diving, water polo, racing, high diving (divers who dive from an elevated platform, officially 20 meters for women and 27 meters for men), artistic swimming, and open water, in an event that positions Medellín as the epicenter of continental youth swimming.

The city will have a modern diving platform, guaranteeing international standards of quality and safety for swimmers. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

For the first time, an Olympic swimming event will be held in the country, including all the disciplines derived from this sport. 120 national swimmers, 60% of whom are from Medellín, will participate in this competition.
For this continental competition, the district began demolishing and dismantling the diving platform, a structure built 52 years ago. It will be replaced by a modern, non-slip structure that will ensure the safety and optimal performance of competitors and also meet the standards required by international sports authorities.

“It’s necessary to have a new diving tower with the best specifications, in addition to the work on the pools and the renovation of the entire aquatic complex. This will be, as we say in Medellín, ‘like a lulito’; it will be spectacular,” the president added. This project also includes the construction of a judging room for synchronized swimming, bathroom maintenance, renovation of the floors in the diving and Olympic pools, and waterproofing and painting the Olympic pool stands, among other works.

The Olympic pool alone serves approximately 20,000 swimmers per month. Thus, the work at the aquatic complex will benefit users of the institutional facilities, sports clubs, leagues, and recreational swimmers.

Photo credit: City of Medellín.