World Drowning Prevention Day: Revitalizing Pools, Protecting Communities

World Drowning Prevention Day highlights the important role that safe and accessible aquatic facilities play in helping people learn to swim, build confidence in the water, and strengthen community well-being. Across many parts of the world, however, communities face a growing infrastructure challenge. Throughout Europe and Australia, many municipal pools built between the 1960s and 1980s are approaching the end of their operational life, while other communities still lack suitable aquatic facilities altogether.

Every pool that closes represents more than the loss of a sports venue. It also removes an important setting for teaching lifesaving skills, promoting inclusion, and providing opportunities for physical activity. As Global Partner of World Aquatics since 2009 and pool supplier for six editions of the Olympic Games, Myrtha Pools works with governments, federations, and local communities to preserve, renovate, and build aquatic facilities that expand access to swimming for future generations.

To mark World Drowning Prevention Day, Olympic artistic swimmer and World Aquatics Ambassador Giorgio Minisini joined young athletes from Aole ASD at the Aquamore Ghedi Centre in Italy. Through swimming and inclusion activities, the event highlighted the importance of water safety and the value of creating positive experiences in and around the water.

“I have always believed that water is an extraordinary tool for inclusion. Learning to swim isn't just about practising a sport: it is a skill that can save lives. I’m proud to support Myrtha Pools’ initiative because investing in modern, safe and accessible public facilities means giving more people the opportunity to gain confidence in the water while contributing concretely to drowning prevention.” - Giorgio Minisini

Italy reflects a challenge shared by many developed countries. As aging public pools become increasingly expensive to maintain, municipalities risk losing essential infrastructure serving their local communities. Through its patented RenovAction and Skin technologies, Myrtha Pools enables existing facilities to be modernized rather than demolished, extending their lifespan while reducing costs, construction time, and environmental impact.

The same challenge is particularly visible in Australia, where hundreds of aquatic centers are approaching the end of their design life. Myrtha Pools works alongside Royal Life Saving Australia to help communities build or renovate resilient facilities. This includes transforming seasonal outdoor pools into year-round indoor centers, such as the George Town facility in Tasmania, as well as rapidly refurbishing aquatic facilities in remote communities, including the pools in Wadeye and Katherine in the Northern Territory. These projects help preserve access to safe aquatic spaces for communities, regardless of where they live.

Preserving existing facilities is only one part of the challenge.

In France, temporary competition pools from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are being converted into permanent public aquatic centers serving areas that have historically had limited access to swimming facilities.

Laurent Ciubini, Director General of the French Swimming Federation (FFN), believes the initiative demonstrates how Olympic legacy can directly improve public health.

“The legacy of the Paris 2024 Games is not limited to medals; it is a tangible social legacy. The conversion of temporary Olympic pools into permanent public aquatic centres in local communities lacking aquatic facilities, such as Sevran, Bagnolet and, more broadly, Seine-Saint-Denis, has helped tackle inequalities in access to swimming pools and, consequently, to learn-to-swim programmes. This success was made possible thanks to the technology of our partner, Myrtha Pools. Their unique expertise in designing swimming pools for communities has enabled the creation of cutting-edge facilities dedicated to swimming education. There is a deep connection between our mission and Myrtha’s know-how: a shared set of core values that place safety and inclusion at the heart of everything we do, enhanced by the clarity and transparency offered by their white stainless-steel pools.

Today, with the “Savoir Nager” programme and the launch of “Baignade Citoyenne”, we are celebrating a vision in which water is no longer a privilege, but a right for every citizen and a pillar of public health. Together with local communities and Myrtha, we are building a future in which every child, regardless of their postcode, can feel safe in the water.”

A similar approach is creating a lasting legacy in Japan, where seven schools now feature legacy pools from Tokyo 2020. In the United States, V3 Sports has transformed a Myrtha pool originally built for the U.S. Olympic Trials into a thriving community hub in North Minneapolis, providing thousands of hours of swimming instruction and water safety education.

As Molly Belk, Program Manager at V3 Sports, explains: “At the core of our programming is accessibility and relationship-building through water. We are proud to offer Family Water Safety Workshops, which go beyond traditional instruction. These highly impactful experiences give families the opportunity to learn about water safety in a supportive environment, explore their own swim stories, and build confidence together in and around the pool.

Our facility features a 25-yard Myrtha pool, providing a high-quality space for instruction, practice, and community engagement. Through strong collaboration, our lessons program serves more than 12 school and community partnerships, ensuring that youth across the city have consistent access to swimming and water safety education.”

In communities where suitable aquatic infrastructure has never existed, the priority is different: creating safe and accessible places where people can learn to swim. This commitment is extending across the Caribbean through Pools for All, part of World Aquatics’ wider Discover Water learn-to-swim program. In Grenada, Myrtha Pools contributed to the program by supplying the technology for the country’s first national 25-meter pool. The facility is creating new opportunities for structured learn-to-swim programs in a nation surrounded by water. For Veda Bruno-Victor, General Secretary of the Grenada Olympic Committee, its significance extends far beyond sport:

“When you live on an island, learning to swim is essential,” she said. Referring to Grenada’s first national 25-metre pool, she added: “We have dreamed for many years of having dedicated learn-to-swim facilities across our country. Thanks to the commitment of World Aquatics, Myrtha Pools and the Grenada Olympic Committee, that dream is finally becoming reality. This is the first step towards giving future generations the opportunity to learn life-saving skills.”

In Colombia, Myrtha Pools continues its long-standing partnership with the Colombian Swimming Federation (FECNA), supporting the development of new competition and training facilities across the country. Beyond elite sport, the initiative is creating opportunities for more children and local communities to learn essential water safety skills.

As Andrés Erazo, Technical and Project Director of the Colombian Swimming Federation, explains: “We think it's essential for everyone to have the opportunity to learn to swim in public pools. Water safety is fundamental for public health and for children's social development. Together with the Mariana Novoa Foundation, we have trained more than 8,000 professionals and provided free swimming lessons to more than 10,300 children. This partnership is made possible by Myrtha Pools' cutting-edge technology, which ensures we can offer high-quality pools for all our children.”

Across Europe, Australia, North America, South America, and the Caribbean, these examples show how investment in aquatic infrastructure can contribute to safer, healthier, and more inclusive communities. Whether renovating aging municipal pools, creating long-term legacies from major sporting events, or expanding access in areas where facilities have never existed, the objective remains the same: giving more people the opportunity to learn to swim, feel safe in the water, and benefit from aquatic spaces designed to serve communities for generations.