Swimming ability among children has deteriorated rapidly at an alarming rate during the recent years, said Pohjola Insurance (OP) in a press release on Monday referring a Statistics.
According to the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation, in 2022, just 55% of sixth-graders met the Nordic criteria for swimming ability. In 2016, 78% of sixth-graders were able to meet the criteria.
In the summer of 2026, Pohjola Insurance and Aquatics Finland will launch a campaign to improve swimming skills by organising free swimming schools on beaches at eight locations around Finland.
The free swimming schools will be organised in Vantaa, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Kuopio, Jyväskylä and Joensuu.
Swimming instruction at the schools will be provided by local swimming clubs in cooperation with Aquatics Finland.
Around 360 children in total will receive swimming instruction through the schools.
An increasing number of children in Finland do not meet the basic requirements for swimming ability.
"Swimming ability among children has declined rapidly, which is justifiably a cause for concern. There are several underlying reasons: not all families can afford to pay for swimming lessons, and access to public swimming pools is limited in some parts of Finland. Although swimming skills are taught in schools, the number of lessons is limited and not alone enough to ensure adequate swimming ability," said Päivi Jääskeläinen, Director, Private and Corporate Customers of Pohjola Insurance.
There are also concerns that swimming ability is becoming increasingly segregated. Reasons for this include differences in families' habits and backgrounds: in multicultural families, for example, swimming is not necessarily a part of everyday life and shared washing facilities may feel unfamiliar.
This can have an effect on children's access to swimming instruction, which in turn is reflected in swimming ability.
During the Finnish summer, water activities are an integral part of children's lives at summer houses, on the beach and through hobbies.
"Swimming does not necessarily need to be a serious hobby or require perfect technique – simply learning how to swim and maintaining your skills is enough. It's good to bear in mind that swimming isn't just a hobby but a skill that can save your life," said Pasi Salonen, Executive Director of Aquatics Finland.
- Swiming
- Ability
- Children
- Drops
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
