Eighteen people have drowned in Austria so far this year, and more than 600,000 people aged five and older cannot swim. The Ministry of Sports and the Austrian Swimming Federation (OSV) want to counter this with a new initiative. In the coming school year, there will be around 10,000 additional swimming sessions in educational institutions, announced State Secretary for Sports Michaela Schmidt (SPÖ) on Tuesday. A nationwide survey is also being conducted to identify where swimming courses and water access exist and where gaps remain.
“About ten percent of children between the ages of five and 19 cannot swim,” Schmidt explained during a press conference aboard the Badeschiff on the Vienna Danube Canal. The numbers have worsened due to swimming lessons that were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Every child in Austria should learn to swim,” the State Secretary declared as a national goal. This is a task for society as a whole — for parents, schools, the public sector, and all levels of government.
In the coming months and years, measures will be implemented step by step, Schmidt said. More than 1,000 kindergartens and elementary schools will benefit from the 10,000 additional swimming sessions. Furthermore, Austrian Olympic swimmers will visit schools to share their journeys to elite sport and their personal experiences.
The training of swimming instructors will also be improved, including with a hands-on instructional manual. Schmidt also announced plans to expand and secure public access to lakes. Additionally, the construction of 50-meter swimming pools for competitive sports will be supported by the Ministry of Sports. “There are currently only six pools in Austria offering 50-meter lanes,” Schmidt criticized.
Indoor pools, in particular, pose a challenge. “We know that no indoor pool is financially viable on its own,” Schmidt said. Multiple municipalities could collaborate and receive state support, as some examples already show. One such indoor pool was built in Rohrbach, Upper Austria, reported OSV board member Thomas Unger. However, according to Susanne Polansky, national coordinator of the “Learn to Swim” project from the OSV, there are still “some blank spots” in Upper Austria when it comes to indoor pool coverage. A comprehensive water access report is currently being prepared, with a preliminary status update expected in September.
