Too few swimming lessons

Calls for swimming pool strategy grow louder after drama

Following the dramatic rescue of a seven-year-old in the Schörgenhubbad, the Linz ÖVP is once again pushing for the expansion of swimming facilities and a significant increase in the number of courses on offer in the Upper Austrian capital. On March 21, the topic will once again be on the agenda of the municipal council. 

The dramatic scenes in the Schörgenhubbad swimming pool a few days ago are once again fueling the debate about swimming courses in politics. A seven-year-old boy got into the water via a slide in an unguarded moment and went under in the pool without swimming aids. Bathers rescued the unconscious boy at the last minute.

Linz also needs an appropriate swimming pool strategy that accelerates the expansion of swimming facilities."

Victoria Langbauer, ÖVP-Gemeinderätin

"It is therefore of life-saving importance in the truest sense of the word that children learn to swim as early as possible. But the statistics reveal a bleak picture. One in ten people between the ages of five and 19 in Austria cannot swim," says Victoria Langbauer from the ÖVP. There is a lack of swimming courses as well as structural conditions. "We only have four indoor swimming pools, and a fifth pool is not due to be built in the Ebelsberg district until 2028. The range of swimming courses on offer is extremely modest and they often have to be booked many months in advance."

Lifebuoy demanded
The Linz People's Party will therefore send a clear message to the responsible SPÖ party at the upcoming municipal council meeting on March 21: "Deputy Mayor Hörzing, finally grab the lifebuoy! Linz also needs an appropriate swimming pool strategy to push ahead with the expansion of swimming facilities in the provincial capital as planned," demands Langbauer.

23 courses in summer 2022
The Linz People's Party submitted a corresponding motion to the municipal council back in 2022, but it ultimately failed to gain a majority. However, at least Linz AG offered 23 intensive courses on behalf of the city in summer 2022.