The list of options to honour Illawarra Olympian Emma McKeon has been whittled down to just two - and neither of them is a swimming pool.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Following McKeon's record-breaking effort in the pool at the Tokyo Olympics - where she won seven medals, including four golds - Wollongong City Council looked at ways to honour the swimmer.
As part of that push, the public was asked for ideas - which included renaming Allans Creek, holding a gardening competition and, of course, changing the name of one of the pools in the city.
At Monday night's council meeting, councillors will consider the two final options - tagged Option A and Option B.
Option A is to rename the North Beach promenade and terraces, while the second option involves attaching McKeon's name to the Cliff Road viewing platform overlooking the harbour and continental pools.
Council staff also spoke with McKeon and her family to discover how they felt about the options, with a paper before council saying she was "honoured by the support she has received from the community".
While many members of the public felt a pool would be a suitable choice, the council papers stated that could cause issues with the family's swim school at Unanderra.
"Commercial conflict was raised as a concern in renaming an aquatic facility," the papers stated.
"The McKeons operate a well-established swim school from their own facility and under license at Western Suburbs Pool.
"Renaming an aquatic facility may cause ambiguity and it was highlighted that while the McKeons currently are the licensee at Western Suburbs Pool, this may not always be the case, resulting in another business indirectly operating under the name of McKeon's."
The final two options were in line with the family's preference to name a location along the Wollongong foreshore such as a viewing platform, small park or seating area.
The councillors will also consider how to acknowledge all the Illawarra athletes who competed in both the Olympics and Paralympics, with council officers noting the issues caused by COVID restrictions.
"It is planned that council include an activity in its Australia Day 2022 program of events to provide Wollongong residents with an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of our local Olympians and Paralympians," the council paper stated.
"Council will also undertake digital recognition using its social media platforms across the coming weeks."
Council staff are working with the Illawarra Academy of Sport in developing these two projects.
The Illawarra Mercury news app is now officially live on both iOS and Android devices. It is available for download in the Apple Store and Google Play.