Germany plans €20 million (about $22.5 million) for swimming lessons

Germany’s federal government plans to give the German Swimming Association, the country’s national aquatics federation, approximately €20 million (about $22.5 million) over four years to get more young children into swimming lessons, DW said.

Years of underinvestment in infrastructure have led to public-pool closures, leaving rural residents in particular traveling farther to increasingly crowded pools. The COVID-19 pandemic added to the problem: some swimming programs closed and never reopened. In some areas, parents face years-long waiting lists for subsidized public lessons or expensive private alternatives.

A recent survey found that more than half of elementary-school children cannot swim properly, DW reported. Separately, n-tv/dpa reported estimates that 40% of children in Germany cannot swim safely by the end of elementary school and 20% cannot swim at all. German Life Saving Association President Ute Vogt said safe swimming means being able to swim independently over deep water for 15 minutes, not merely staying afloat.

What the program supports

Government representatives presented the program in Berlin with the swimming association and the German Life Saving Association, a lifesaving organization that also teaches swimming. Alongside its support for local networking and coordination rather than pool construction, the program envisages training more qualified instructors, although that part is outside the current funding call.

Support could pay for a bus to take children to a pool or help a club offer more courses. The program also envisages paid coordinators who could connect schools and clubs, find available capacity and relieve volunteers.

Non-public institutions, including clubs, daycare centers and swimming schools, can apply by 31 January 2027. The number of additional lesson places the program is expected to create has not been specified.