Swimming badge boom in Rhineland-Palatinate: record numbers and pitfalls!
Swimming badge boom in Rhineland-Palatinate: record numbers and pitfalls!
In 2024, a total of 9,882 people in Rhineland-Palatinate acquired a swimming badge, which means an increase of almost 500 compared to the previous year. Among these are 3,433 people who received the earliest swimming badge, the seahorse. This number represents a slight decline, because there are ten less than in 2023. The silver badge was acquired by 1,886 people, which corresponds to a decline of 126 compared to the 2,012 acquisition in the previous year. On the other hand, the market for the bronze badge was on the upswing: around 3,400 people secured this award, an increase of around 400 compared to 3,000 in 2023. The coveted gold badge was also acquired by 1,203 people, which is almost 200 more than in the previous year.
These are just a few of the aspects that shape the swimming badge advertisements this year. The number of swimming trainers also only grew minimally, which may have a negative impact on regular training and support for the swimming courses. In 2024, 9,920 people took part in beginner courses, which means a decline of about 800 compared to the previous year. At the same time, however, there was a significant increase in the advanced courses: 6,579 participants were recorded here, an increase of 642 compared to 5,937 in 2023.
public perception and challenges
Nationwide, a total of 95,273 swimming badges were awarded by the DLRG in 2024. This corresponds to the highest number of badges awarded for a decade. A total of around 379,000 people took part in swimming courses, including around 18,000 adults. The DLRG emphasizes that the acquisition of the swimming badges provides the skills and knowledge of the participants in swimming. It is pointed out that children and adolescents with the early swimmer badge (seahorse) must continue to be supervised when swimming, since this badge does not provide evidence of safe swimming.In addition, a study by the KfW support bank warns that the condition of many baths could lead to around 800 closures nationwide. This could severely affect the swimming courses and the number of swimming badges that will be acquired in the future. The waiting times for swimming courses have increased on average to six months, and every third club even recorded waiting times of over a year.
Overall, the development of the swimming badge program in Rhineland-Palatinate shows an interesting mix of positive and worrying trends. Although the numbers around the bronze and gold badges climb, the declining number of participants in beginners' courses and the challenges by hiding significantly reflect the problems that need to be overcome in order to improve the swimming capacity of the population.
For more information about the various swimming badges and their requirements, the dlrg
according to Lokalo.de there is a clear need for action to improve the situation of swimming training in Germany.
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