Authors: Raimonds Gekišs (Latvian Television) With the arrival of summer, thousands of people – especially the younger ones – enjoy recreation at lakes, rivers and the sea. However, irresponsible behavior or ignoring safety rules can turn a pleasant swim into an irreversible tragedy in an instant, as evidenced by Latvia’s consistently appalling record when it comes to the number…
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The World Health Organization (WHO) will publish the “Global Status Report on the General State of Drowning Risk Reduction in the European Union and Neighboring Countries” by the summer of 2025. In response to a request from the State Chancellery, the information about the situation in Latvia has been compiled for the WHO report, as…
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Authors: Eng.LSM.lv (Latvian Public Broadcasting), Sintija Ambote (Latvian Radio) Funding for swimming lessons in schools next year has not been found. A survey of schools by the Latvian Swimming Federation found that swimming lessons are included in the curriculum in about half of schools. Some schools have short-term projects or non-compulsory swimming, but about 30% don’t provide it at…
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Authors: Eng.LSM.lv (Latvian Public Broadcasting), Aija Kinca (Latvian Television), Sintija Lukjanska (Latvijas Radio korespondente) One in three Latvian residents has experienced a dangerous situation in water or drowning, according to a survey published by the Latvian Swimming Federation (LPF) and ‘Swim Safely’ association. Most Latvians don’t have sufficient swimming skills, and drowning is one of the most common external causes of death. On…
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The majority, or 71% of Latvia’s population, cannot swim at least 200 meters, and one in three has admitted to finding themselves in a potentially life-threatening situation in water at some point in their lives, according to a study conducted by the Latvian Swimming Federation (LPF) and the organization “Swim Safe.” The level of swimming…
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The first international conference “Learn to Swim” will take place in Jurmala, Latvia, on 11-12 November, this year. It is organised by the European Swimming Federation (European Aquatics) in cooperation with the Latvian Swimming Federation (LPF). The main objective of the conference is to share experiences and work together to reduce the number of drownings…
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The biggest problem in Latvia is that there is no single state institution that would coordinate processes to reduce the number of drowned people, Zane Gemze, head of the “Swim Safely” organization, stated in an interview with Latvian Radio. According to her, Latvia ranks first in the number of drowned people in the European Union…
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Every year, approximately between 100 and 150 bodies are pulled from the water in Lavia after drowning, according to data from the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD). With the association ‘Swim safely’ (Peldēt droši), the service has produced a “blackspot” map showing the locations with drownings over the past three years in Latvia. The map is…
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Latvia can be called a water power, because almost every second inhabitant of Latvia lives by the water. The population’s ability to swim is really sad, because surveys show that only 6% of Latvians believe that they can swim. According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, drowning and drowning in 2018 are in the fifth place in the statistics on mortality from external causes of death. Drowns more than dies in fires.
