Olympic-sized Jodie Henry Pool opens in Logan

Logan City Council has completed a $9 million upgrade of the Olympic-sized Jodie Henry Pool at the Logan North Aquatic Centre in Underwood - just in time for the summer swimming season.  

The redeveloped pool has been expanded with two additional swimming lanes. It also features improved water quality controls and new energy efficient pumps and filtration.

A bright new splash pad coming in 2023 will also delight younger paddlers and families.

Olympic gold medallist, multiple world record holder and proud City of Logan product, Jodie Henry OAM, re-opened the outdoor pool alongside Logan City Council Mayor Darren Power.

The Olympic-sized facility also further enhances the city’s claims for greater inclusion in 2032 Olympic plans.

Mayor Power outlined the many achievements of Henry at the opening of the new outdoor pool while stating that the redevelopment of the pool was a major boost for City of Logan residents who partake in water-based activities for either fitness or fun.

Mayor Power noted “the opening of our new Jodie Henry Pool is a celebration of one of our greatest swimming heroes, but it is also a nod to the champions of tomorrow.

“Council is very proud to invest in world-class facilities which both support our next generation of athletes and promote healthy lifestyles and fun recreational pursuits.

“As we look ahead to the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, I have no doubt that this could be the opening chapter of our city’s next sporting stories.”

Henry grew up in Springwood, won three gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, including in the individual 100m freestyle. She was the first Australian to win the event since Dawn Fraser in 1964.

She set a world record for the 100 metre freestyle and was part of two world record-breaking relay teams.

Having grown up without a pool of her own, Henry credits her early development as a swimmer to her regular school and club meets at the Logan North Aquatic Centre – where her “love of swimming began”.

City Lifestyle Chair Laurie Koranski shared the highlights of the pool redevelopment project advising the development of Olympic-sized (50metre) pools in local communities was invaluable to aspiring athletes.

Henry added “It drastically changes the training you do, if you are only swimming short course (25 metre) you are training differently.

“All our major events, the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the world championships, the ones that really mean a lot to a swimmer, are long course, so it really does help to have access to facilities like this.”

She said the sky was the limit for the City of Logan’s next generation of swimmers.

“It’s all about staying in it (the sport), if you’ve got a love for it, stay in it and find the people that can support you,” Henry said.

“The Brisbane (2032 Olympic Games) are coming up, and while we’ve also got a fantastic senior swim team at the moment, it would be great to see what these future generations can add to that legacy.”

Image top: Jodie Henry OAM, re-opened the outdoor pool alongside Logan City Council Mayor Darren Power; Jodie Henry Pool with Maddee Clark diving in. Images courtesy City of Logan