In spring 2024 the starting signal was given for the first nationwide children’s swimming offensive in Lower Austria. The aim of the “NÖ Schwimm Kids” project is to offer free, high-quality swimming courses to as many children as possible and thus counteract the increasing number of non-swimmers as quickly as possible.
Drowning is the second most common cause of fatal child accidents. This negative trend should be counteracted sustainably in order to enable the younger generation to have safe and worry-free bathing fun. In addition, the promotion of the healthy and effective sport of swimming is intended to be another targeted measure to combat the society-wide lack of exercise.
“Since the initiative was launched, 70 courses with almost 4,000 course units have been held. A total of 520 children were able to complete their first swimming courses. The high demand and the high utilization rate of over 80 percent show the necessity of the project,” emphasizes State Sports Councilor and LH Deputy Udo Landbauer.
There are still almost 200 places available for the third and final registration block in the current calendar year. Registration for this starts on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 12 p.m. and, like previous registration, is only available on the project website schwimmkids.sportlandnoe.at possible.
The free course offering was fixed at 20 locations in Lower Austria and the declared goal of a total of 1,000 starting places was achieved. The autumn and winter courses are offered at eight course locations: from Wiener Neustadt, Neunkirchen and Maria Enzersdorf, via Korneuburg, Scheibbs and Krems an der Donau to the northern Waldviertel to Zwettl and Litschau.
“In the future, we want to expand the initiative even further so that we can offer free swimming courses in all regions of Lower Austria. The failures of the last few years are life-threatening. With the largest swimming offensive in the country, we are laying the foundation for safe swimming fun,” Landbauer underlines the ambitions and thanks the parents for their great trust. “The goal is very clear that all children in Lower Austria learn to swim again and can swim again,” says Landbauer.
In order to realize this future vision in the best possible way, a project network meeting took place last Saturday in Krems an der Donau, to which all partners and swimming teachers who are involved in this initiative were invited to exchange previous experiences and explore optimization options. In the morning, a theoretical part took place in the Krems sports hall, where the first results from the parent survey could also be presented. In the afternoon there was a practical unit on the model of the swimming plan for the “NÖ Schwimm Kids” project in the Krems swimming arena.
“The feedback from our swimming teachers, but especially from parents, is absolutely positive. The trained swimming teachers are fascinated by the enthusiasm with which the children take part in lessons and make rapid progress in the water. This is the best confirmation for this project,” says Birgit Fürnkranz-Maglock, President of the Lower Austrian State Swimming Association, very satisfied with the implementation after about half of the first pilot year.
The swimming courses each consist of ten units of 45 minutes each and include groups of eight children per swimming instructor. The course costs and entry to the swimming pool for the children are covered by SPORTLAND Niederösterreich. The courses are exclusively for swimming beginners with no prior knowledge. The focus is on getting used to and coping with water: the children should be able to move in the water without buoyancy aid in such a way that they can safely swim back and save themselves from the water even if they fall into the water. Depending on your individual learning progress, you can also start with teaching “real” swimming techniques in the NÖ Schwimm Kids courses. No swimming badges are issued as part of the “NÖ Schwimm Kids” campaign. In order to automate swimming techniques in depth, it is recommended that children then attend courses with certified organizations such as swimming clubs or water rescue.
Further information: SPORTLAND Lower Austria, Patrick Pfaller, Tel.: +43 2742 9000 19876, Mobile: +43 676 812 19876, patrick.pfaller@noe.co.at