Greater Victoria hopefuls inspired by Team Canada91裸聊视频檚 success in the hammer throw at the Paris Olympics, will now have to look outside the region for somewhere to try their hand at the sport.

The hammer cage located at Saanich's Lambrick Park Secondary School was decommissioned Wednesday, Aug. 14 by School District 61 who deemed the structure 91裸聊视频渦nsafe91裸聊视频� and incapable of being upgraded.

"Safety is our highest priority and as such the structure is being removed," said Caroline Manders from the superintendent's department at School District 61 on the day of the demolition.

The cage, which was closed by the school district in early 2022, has previously been the training ground for the new Olympic hammer throw champion Ethan Katzberg, and Victoria91裸聊视频檚 Adam Keenan, who threw a season91裸聊视频檚 best of 74.45 metres in Paris, finishing 13th overall.

The removal has been criticized by Keenan, who prior to his departure for Paris, told Black Press Media that the long journey to train at an alternative cage in Duncan, as well as injury struggles, almost cost him his place at the competition.

The 30-year-old athlete says that the school district has been working with Athletics Victoria for two years to replace the structure and has at times demonstrated that the project is 91裸聊视频渘ot a priority91裸聊视频� for them.

91裸聊视频淢y Olympic career is done now,91裸聊视频� said Keenan, who announced his retirement after the competition. 91裸聊视频淏ut we've had two years to get that cage up so that I can have a place to train in Victoria. And it's really hard for me not to wonder what could have been.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲orking with the school district has proved extremely difficult. I91裸聊视频檝e noticed that their attention to detail is quite poor and they're not interested in doing things in a timely manner,91裸聊视频� he added.

At the Paris Games, Keenan witnessed Canadian sporting history, when teammate Katzberg won Canada91裸聊视频檚 first-ever gold medal in the hammer throw, followed quickly by Camryn Rogers doing the same in the women91裸聊视频檚 competition. 

91裸聊视频淚 was beaming with pride,91裸聊视频� Keenan said, adding that he has known both Katzberg and Rogers since they were young teenagers. 91裸聊视频淲atching them grow into not just the best throwers in the country, but the best throwers in the world, has filled me with nothing but pride91裸聊视频� and go B.C., because we're all from B.C.91裸聊视频�

Canada91裸聊视频檚 success in the hammer throw has sparked a rising interest in the sport, says Keenan, who was quizzed by curious sporting fans when he landed back in Canada.

91裸聊视频淭hose with children said that their kids were interested in getting involved in hammer throw and that just, I mean, it made my day to hear that,91裸聊视频� he said.

But with no current access to a training cage, Keenan fears what impact this will have on Greater Victoria children wanting to throw themselves into the sport.

91裸聊视频淭his isn't about elite athletes anymore,91裸聊视频� Keenan said. 91裸聊视频淭his is about developing physical literacy in our communities, and regardless of what anybody says, that matters. Having kids be able to access safe and fun exercise is crucial in any society.

91裸聊视频淢y life changed because of this, I got a full scholarship to the United States because of throwing, it changed the course of my life. That91裸聊视频檚 what I would love to see other people get to have. But it won't happen if we don't put a cage up.91裸聊视频�

The cage removal is also a personal blow for Keenan, as he and his family fundraised for the structure to be installed in 2010.

91裸聊视频淢y grandfather poured the cement for the circle and made the metal insert for it,91裸聊视频� Keenan said. 91裸聊视频淢y other grandfather paid for a big portion of the cage. So it's hard not to see it as my family's legacy to sport.91裸聊视频�

In a statement to the press, School District 61 said that they have been working with Athletics Victoria to install a 91裸聊视频渕odern and safe91裸聊视频� throwing cage at Oak Bay High, but 91裸聊视频渕issing parts91裸聊视频� have delayed the installation. A claim that Keenan denies. 

91裸聊视频淭here's no part missing,91裸聊视频� said Keenan about the cage purchased in March 2023, that was previously housed at the Kamloops national throwing centre. 91裸聊视频淥ne of the posts on the cages is bent, and this was communicated to them when we first bought the cage.91裸聊视频�

According to the president of Athletics Victoria, Sean Steele, a structural engineer91裸聊视频檚 report, retained by the school district but paid for by the athletics group, has indicated concerns about the cage and its wind-loading tolerances. But he adds that the report is unclear on how the cage falls short of the engineer91裸聊视频檚 standards.

91裸聊视频淲e will be seeking clarification on this to determine what remediation is needed,91裸聊视频� said Steele, who added that the cage91裸聊视频檚 original manufacturer has advised that it should be 91裸聊视频渞elatively easy91裸聊视频� to bring the cage back up to standard.

91裸聊视频淲e are hopeful about having a safer and proper throwing cage for use in the city, and appreciate the work of the school district in support of this as we continue to work steadily through their requirements for installation,91裸聊视频� said Steele.

91裸聊视频淩ight now we don91裸聊视频檛 have a timeline for installation but we are keen to have it done as quickly as possible and practical.91裸聊视频�

For Keenan, that can91裸聊视频檛 come soon enough, saying that post-retirement, he is putting his involvement in the sport on hold.

91裸聊视频淯nfortunately, the last two years have really soured my experience with training in Victoria,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚 won't do anything in Victoria until there's a safe place for people to train.91裸聊视频�