POTENTIAL Olympic stars joined a games medallist in opening a £17m aquatic centre in Liverpool yesterday.

Liverpool’s swimming Olympian, Stephen Parry, and this year’s hometown hopefuls, Francesca Halsall and Michael Rock, were yesterday among the dignitaries officially opening the Olympic-sized pool in Wavertree.

Parry, who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, and the two young swimmers dived into the new 50-metre pool to give a quick lesson to children from schools across the city.

Francesca, 18, said: “It’s been so important to my preparation this year.

“I grew up training in Everton Park and Westminster Road swimming pool, which isn’t even there any more – that tells its own story. But this has been so good. It’s important to be able to replicate what you’re doing in the Olympics. Getting the flow of strokes right and the turns is vital and will make being there a lot easier.”

She was one of 37 British squad members taking part in the Amateur Swimming Association Championships that followed the official launch.

It was their last competitive meet before carrying the nation’s swimming hopes to the Beijing Olympics next month.

Opening the pool, council leader Warren Bradley said : “Our elite swimmers no longer have to undergo 70-mile round trips to Manchester and Wigan to train in an Olympic standard pool.

“This is an absolutely world-class venue. As well as providing fantastic gym and swimming facilities for the local community, it is helping put Liverpool on the national swimming map.

“It’s not just the best in the North West, but is maybe the best in the UK.”

The Liverpool Aquatics Centre is the biggest investment in the city’s swimming facilities for decades. It includes a state-of-the-art 50-metre pool, a 400-seat arena and a unique moveable floor which allows the depth of the pool to be varied and even raised above the water line for dry sports such as aerobics.

The Aquatics Centre replaced the original 80-year-old Picton Baths, which had to close because of structural problems. The project also includes huge investment to improve the Lifestyles Fitness Centre next door.

Butterfly stroke specialist Michael Rock, 21, from Allerton, said: “This is a great moment for the city and can only help bring more children to the sport.”

The centre has been a massive success since first opening its doors in March, receiving almost 100,000 visits, with nearly 1,700 people signing up as new Lifestyles members.

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