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PHARR — Skin irritation, difficulties breathing and burning eyes were some of the symptoms athletes, coaches and staff members complained about and dealt with during the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships held at the Pharr Natatorium from Feb. 22-25.
The WAC sent a letter May 5 to UTRGV, the host school of the event, and the city of Pharr stating that while the conference has awarded the 2024 championships to the same venue, it is “contingent on improvement of the air quality conditions to a healthy level. Please advise us on the plan to address these concerns.”
A piece of equipment that works to keep air quality and emitted chlorine levels at a healthy level was not used appropriately, according to officials, or not working.
“We understand that you are aware of the concerns and are working toward creating solutions that would bring the air quality to a level that is healthy for all.”
Eight women’s teams and six men’s teams competed in the event, which is a preliminary to the NCAA Championships. UNLV captured the men’s conference title and Northern Arizona won the women’s crown.
UTRGV will have a team beginning in the fall of 2024.
“Friday, the air quality wasn’t great, we were affected mostly with Friday night’s sleep,” Northern Arizona head coach Andy Johns said. “Some people were affected a lot more than others, everybody had different issues and were affected differently.”
When asked for a statement, the city of Pharr did not address the issue of the poor air quality or the fact that the 2024 event was awarded with a contingency attached.
Instead, they replied: “The Natatorium is currently fully operational, with ongoing year-round and summer activities. All preventive maintenance measures are in place, and the City remains committed to maintaining the Natatorium to the highest standard to ensure the health and safety of all users. At least one school official at the event reportedly went to a local stand alone emergency room due to the effects of the poor air quality and did not return for the final day of the event.”
“Anytime you do something for the first time, you learn a great deal about how to continue to improve the experience. One thing we learned was that the air quality at the facility fell short,” UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said in a statement. “When we became aware of issues with the air quality, we quickly worked with staff at the natatorium, identified areas for improvement, and devised a plan to improve the air quality when hosting major events in the facility. We are confident that these measures will substantially improve the issues we faced while co-hosting the facility’s first major meet.”
“The air was pretty thick and it was very warm inside. Maybe better circulation might help out. They need to learn the temperature control system,” California Baptist head coach Rick Rowland added. “We had some people sit outside to get more natural air and that seemed to help. We also had kids with asthma that struggled by the fourth day. If you have that, it got more difficult.”
Coaches and WAC officials, however, said they felt confident the issue would be handled appropriately and all praised the facility and its design,
“That’s why we’re going back,” Rowland said. “It’s an extremely nice facility.”
“As with any first event, we learned ways that we can continue to grow and improve the event in the future. Air quality concerns were brought to our attention at the meet and there have been adjustments to address these concerns in the future,” the WAC said in a statement from Senior Associate Commissioner Rebekah Ray.
“The overall experience for our institutions and student-athletes was very positive and the WAC looks to continue a strong partnership with the City of Pharr and UTRGV to host future Swimming and Diving Championships.”
Monitor staff writer Matt Wilson contributed to this story.
