Swimming lessons challenged by pool shortages in Finland

Organizing swimming lessons has become challenging in certain areas due to a lack of appropriate pool facilities. According to the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation, more swimming pools are needed to ensure children receive adequate swimming instruction. Jukka Rantala, the federation’s chairman, has received numerous reports about this shortage from various parts of the country. One solution for providing suitable swimming spaces is adjustable pools with variable depths. Rantala notes that some new facilities already feature international innovations that allow depth adjustments based on the age of the children using the pool.

A 2022 survey revealed that only about half of sixth graders are proficient swimmers, highlighting ongoing concerns as 80 people have drowned this year. This disparity leads to unequal access to swimming lessons, with some municipalities lacking swimming pools entirely. Additionally, Rantala states that even larger cities do not always provide swimming instruction up to the sixth grade.

In Turku, the local lifesaving club, Caribia Lifesavers, offers free swimming and lifesaving lessons to school children, reaching approximately 120 students this fall. Sauli Suominen, the club’s founder, emphasizes the importance of swimming skills for personal safety and aims to assist children with varying levels of swimming ability, a gap exacerbated by the pandemic’s restrictions on swimming.

Elina Loponen, from the local swimming club, shares her concern over the high number of non-swimmers among older children, noting a fear of their potential inability to swim even in critical situations like military service. To promote swimming among schoolchildren, Turku provides free ten-visit passes to children in preschool and grades one, three, and five, encouraging families to participate together in swimming activities.