Duncan Scott humiliates John Swinney over pool closures after becoming most decorated Olympian

Duncan Scott has become Scotland's most decorated Olympian by claiming his eighth medal with a silver in men's 200 metres individual medley final on Friday

The tally of two gold and six silvers puts him ahead of Sir Chris Hoy but the humble 27-year-old insisted he shouldn't be compared to the cycling legend or tennis hero Sir Andy Murray, who was at the pool to watch the swimmer in action.

"I mean... I shouldn't be in the same sentence as that guy or Andy Murray," Scott said to BBC Scotland. "Those two have been a huge inspiration to everything I've done. Sure, I've got a few medals but I couldn't have got this many without being part of a load of fantastic relays."

John Swinney was quick to issue a congratulatory statement, hailing Scott's "commitment and determination" (although once again failing to mention 'Team GB'). The First Minister declared: "I am sure his remarkable achievements will inspire future generations of Scottish swimmers."

READ MORE: Almost 150 Scottish swimming pools are at risk of closure as SNP funding cuts bite

However, at around the same time as the press release was being issued, Scott was speaking out in his poolside interview with Sharron Davies, who praised the work he does "with kids in Scotland, getting them swimming... not only is swimming a life skill, it's a way to be fit, make friends, mental health, it's really all important".

The ace, born in Glasgow and raised in Alloa, replied: "Totally. As much as there are the physical benefits, there's the mental ones as well. I think we've seen that during Covid, people unable to exercise and these leisure centres are community hubs, up and down the country, whether that is in Scotland or England, Wales and Northern Ireland, to see them closing is a real shame, it could be the elderly that go there, the injured, that's where I started to learn to swim or yourself or others. Its really important that we keep these environments open for this generation but also for future ones as well."

(Image: Getty Images)

The Observatory for Sport in Scotland has warned that 1,000 community facilities could close over the next two years, including "a large proportion" of the country's remaining 210 public swimming pools.

The report adds: "The crisis is not the result of the Covid pandemic but decisions by local government – not helped by the Scottish Government – to reduce funding of community sport and leisure facilities over the past 20 years, which has built up multi-million pound maintenance backlogs."

Scott also thanked his coach, Steve Tait at the University of Stirling, and his parents for all their support, although he joked that they sent him to private school so they didn't have to get up early for swimming training.

In fact, his sports scholarship to Strathallan School in Perthshire was vital as the boarding school has its own swimming pool. Alloa's Leisure Bowl closed in 2021, leaving Clackmannanshire as the only local authority in Scotland (and one of only a handful in the UK) without a public pool.

The average age of Scotland's public pools is 36 years old and the cost of a replacement programme has been estimated at £40.5million a year, at a time when the council budgets are facing huge challenges.

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