The iconic London Aquatics Centre became a landmark location during the London 2012 Olympics. Now, concerned members say its legacy is being ruined due to its current operators
The London Aquatics Centre in East London’s Olympic Park has been slammed over allegedly being ‘run into the ground’ and what some members see as ‘failures’ to properly accommodate disabled users.
The London Aquatics Centre, in Stratford’s Olympic Park, is run by Everyone Active, a sports and leisure company, who lease it from the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).
Members and regular users of the centre have spoken out about what they see as persistent failings by Everyone Active since it took over the gym’s running in 2024, after being handed an eight-year contract by the LLDC. The Aquatics Centre is open to the public and also hosts many private events and competitions.
They have spoken about toilets with no seats, broken showers, and allegedly poor disabled access.
MyLondon has seen repeated email correspondence from a member raising these concerns directly with Everyone Active, the LLDC, and local politicians.
Speaking to MyLondon, the member, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “Towards the end of last year, I started noticing these problems. The disabled barriers weren’t working. There were missing toilet seats.
“The spin dryers weren’t working. I brought it up with management, their response was ‘I’m not too sure’ – how long does it take to change a toilet seat?
“For months, I raised concerns about these issues, and nothing happened. The main accessible barrier has been blocked off by a sign. I said to them that under the Equality Act 2010, that’s a problem because you’re blocking disabled access into the venue. Then they said they could go through the exit barriers, which are always open, but that’s not really a great look for what was once an Olympic-standard building.
“This is a venue where Michael Phelps won all these gold medals, that’s open to the community who can access it in one of the most deprived London boroughs, yet you see it being run into the ground.”
Chris Wells, Everyone Active contract manager, told MyLondon: “As a registered accessible venue, the London Aquatics Centre recognises the importance of accessible provision, and works hard to ensure all visitors can enjoy its world-class facilities in a clean and welcoming environment.
“Four out of the centre’s 45 standard toilets are temporarily out of service due to missing seats; these are clearly signposted, and alternative facilities remain available. Of the 20 accessible toilets, four are also temporarily without seats due to the need for bespoke replacement parts. All eight are due to be fully restored by this Tuesday; at no point has accessible toilet provision been unavailable.
“Cleanliness remains a priority with a continuous, all-day cleaning regime in place, which has recently been further enhanced.
“In relation to access, we have experienced intermittent mechanical and IT issues affecting the primary accessible entrance gate. However, an adjacent double-width gate – located just a few metres away on the opposite side of reception and leading to the same corridor – has remained fully operational and has been used as a temporary alternative.
“However, we apologise for the inconvenience and are working hard to restore the primary gate as soon as possible.
“Signage at the affected gate directs customers to the available entrance and includes important operational information. It does not obstruct access.
“Some spin dryers were temporarily unavailable due to vandalism and misuse; however, alternative units remained in use at all times and all are now fully operational.”
He added: “As a venue proud to serve its local community and welcoming thousands of visitors each week, we are pleased that these issues are being resolved and will continue to work to ensure the centre meets the high standards our visitors expect.”
The issues regarding the toilets and disability access, however, have persisted. After a user posted on Reddit about the centre and its current state, several other users responded, agreeing that the centre had ‘declined’.
A Google review posted in June 2025 described an experience in which someone took their disabled dad to the swimming pool, only to find the wheelchair lift was not working.
They wrote: “The management said and reassured us when they came to ‘fix’ it, that they will (sic) get an engineer out asap .. (sic) my dad was stuck in the pool for an extra hour as they couldn’t get him out. We again tried to use the pool on Friday, 20th June as they said the staff /pool life guards would be able to transfer my dad into the pool in that machine manually … Which again was an issue..
“We have just got back from the aquatics centre as the machine is still not working ….not even manually…. And no one at reception informed us when taking our money to use the pool. We got a refund but the difficulty that my dad has endured due to this has been a delay in his recovery!!”
However, there are reviews that describe it as a “brilliant place” and give it five stars, yet in recent months, a spate of negative ones has become more common.
Everyone Active took over as operator of the Aquatics Centre from Better Gym in February 2024, after being handed an eight-year contract by the LLDC.
Mark Camley, Executive Director of Estate and Neighbourhoods at LLDC, said: “LLDC is committed to creating and maintaining accessible and inclusive environments for everyone. We appreciate the concerns that have been raised and recognise how important it is that the venue’s facilities are accessible to all users.
“We are engaging with Everyone Active, the operator of London Aquatics Centre, who are responsible for maintenance issues and disabled access provision. They have set out the necessary steps to resolve these issues and have assured us that, while this work is ongoing, alternative accessible toilets and access arrangements are in place to ensure continued provision for all users.
“London Aquatics Centre continues to serve over 1 million visitors per annum from across the community and plays an important role as both a community facility and a major events venue. We actively manage the contract with Everyone Active, including regular inspections, and the venue has recently been awarded an Excellent rating through an independent Customer Service Excellence audit.”
Got a story you think needs sharing? Email [email protected]
