First swimming pools closed during the corona pandemic, then the energy crisis and high inflation: many parents in Munich cannot afford swimming lessons for their children – and if they do, the waiting times in the big city are often endlessly long. That’s why the Dr. Ludwig Koch Foundation, together with the SZ sports editorial team, launched the “Learn to Swim” project. The Koch Foundation has been supporting children and youth sports in Munich since the 1972 Olympic Games. The aim of the campaign is to enable as many additional children as possible to take part in swimming courses free of charge in 2025. Every additional swimming lesson counts!
Together with the aquatics swimming school of world champion and Olympic bronze winner Christian Tröger and the city of Munich, which provides the pool, the courses will start in the former swimming pool of the Bavarian Insurance Chamber (Gewürzmühlstraße 8) on January 9th and 14th. “Every child should be able to swim. By enforcing a corresponding fundamental right, many lives could be saved,” says Tröger. The city has written to six kindergartens, each of which will send ten children to the courses. In ten sessions of 45 minutes each, 60 children learn to swim, with the Dr. Ludwig Koch Foundation covering the entire cost. “Since serious swimming accidents occur again and again, we have set ourselves the goal of giving children swimming lessons and raising parents’ awareness of this important topic,” says foundation board member Horst Staimer.
If the premiere with the first wave of swimming courses is successful, the foundation plans to support the project financially in the long term – a second wave of free courses may start after the Easter holidays in cooperation with the city and the aquatics swimming school. However, private registration is not possible because the city is responsible for selecting the kindergartens with which it cooperates.
The lack of trainers is generally a big problem. So if you feel like leading swimming courses and completing appropriate trainer training, you can contact [email protected].
On the side sz.de/learning to swim We have also put together further information about swimming and the SZ project.
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