Left out of the pool: what’s really stopping immigrants from learning to swim?
Immigrants often have weaker swimming skills than the general Finnish population, according to the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK.
Hassan Morsy
Published 14.10.2025 at 2:34
Updated 14.10.2025 at 3:42
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Finland, often called the land of a thousand lakes, has water woven into its everyday life. Swimming here is more than just a sport. It is a beloved pastime, a social activity, and most importantly, a life-saving skill. Yet each summer, tragic drowning incidents remind us that not everyone has had a fair chance to learn it.
According to the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation (FSL), drowning deaths have sharply increased in recent years. In July 2025 alone, 28 people drowned, which is the highest monthly number of drowning deaths reported since July 2021. Between January and July 2025, 68 lives were lost to drowning.
These figures show that the need for accessible swimming education is more urgent than ever.
Barriers in the system
While Finland offers swimming schools in most cities, access is not equal. In some areas, there are affordable courses organized by the municipality. But in many cases, swimming lessons are run by private clubs or companies at prices that are out of reach for some families.
Even when money is not an issue, limited pool time is. Public pools must balance between swimming lessons and other customers, which means not everyone who wants to learn gets a spot.
Tero Savolainen, a swimming teaching specialist at FSL, explains:
“One of the main challenges is simply reaching immigrant families. In recent years, we’ve made progress by training instructors who come from immigrant communities themselves. When the teacher shares the same background, it’s easier to build trust”.
One initiative working to close these gaps is the Pinnalla-Stay Afloat project. Led by the FSL, the project aims to improve children’s swimming skills across the country, with a strong focus on inclusivity.
Pinnalla connects multicultural families with swimming schools, supports the training of new instructors, and ensures that more children, regardless of language or background, gain this essential life skill.
“I had to translate every word”
Still, language often remains a barrier. Most swimming courses are taught only in Finnish, and instructions during the lessons are often not translated.
This makes it difficult for many immigrant parents to register their children or understand what happens during lessons. It can also be a safety concern if participants don’t fully understand the guidance they receive around water.
Mohamed Hafez, an Egyptian father of two living in Tampere, shares his personal experience. He signed up his daughter for a municipal swimming course, but it was only in Finnish.
“I ended up being the bridge between the instructor and my children,” he says. “My daughter was copying movements without understanding the instructions.”
To improve the learning experience, he later hired a private swimming coach from another city, someone who could teach in English. The cost, however, was much higher.
“I collaborated with a Jordanian family to cover the private coach’s cost, it was about 100 euros compared to 70 euros for the city’s course,” he says. “Not all families can afford that.”
Offering English-speaking swimming classes is not a big change, but it could be meaningful for many.
“At least one English-language course should be available in every city. That would make swimming safer and more accessible for everyone.”
Cultural expectations around privacy were another challenge. Privacy in showers and changing rooms, for example, is important to many families. Not all public pools are equipped to offer private options or gender-separated sessions.
Hafez describes how shared changing rooms and shower areas made his children uncomfortable.
“Sometimes, we had to wait a long time just to find a private place to change.”
In one instance, an older Finn roughly asked Hafez and his child to remove their swimsuits entirely in the shower, demonstrating intolerance toward cultural diversity.
“That moment really stayed with me.”
Some volunteer groups and municipalities have begun offering courses in English, but access to these courses depends on local resources.
A community-based solution
Sari Medjadji, a Finnish Muslim and qualified PE teacher, has spent over 15 years organizing swimming classes for Muslim women and children in Jyväskylä. For her, the lack of privacy in public swimming facilities was a serious concern.
“As Muslims, we don’t shower naked in public. We take turns changing in private spaces,” she explains.
To create a more comfortable learning environment, Sari rented a private school pool and invited other families to join, sharing the cost.
“While teaching my own children, I ended up teaching many others as well.”
This summer’s rise in drowning cases has only deepened her commitment.
“We’ve added an extra class this autumn. I see it as my responsibility to help more women and children learn this essential skill.”
At school swimming sessions, Sari works around the system by reserving private showers for her children and arranging a family member to accompany them.
“When everyone shares the same values, these problems don’t arise.”