After 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 expansion of the course offerings in the Upper Austrian capital. The topic will be back on the local council’s agenda on March 21st.
The dramatic scenes in the Schörgenhubbad a few days ago are again heating up debates about swimming courses in politics. In an unobserved moment, a seven-year-old boy got into the water via a slide and went under in the pool without a swimming aid. Bathers saved the already unconscious boy at the last minute. “It is therefore, in the truest sense of the word, of life-saving importance 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 cannot swim in Austria,” says Victoria Langbauer from the ÖVP, saying there is a need for action. Both swimming courses and structural conditions would be missing. “We only have four indoor swimming pools, a fifth pool is not scheduled to be built in the Ebelsberg district until 2028. The range of swimming courses is extremely limited, 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 at the upcoming municipal council meeting on March 21st: “Vice Mayor Hörzing, finally grab the lifebuoy! Linz also needs a corresponding pool strategy that will push the expansion of swimming facilities in the state capital as planned,” demands Langbauer. 23 courses in summer 2022. The Linz People’s Party submitted a corresponding proposal to the local council in 2022, but ultimately did not find a majority . At least Linz AG offered 23 intensive courses on behalf of the city in the summer of 2022.
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