Belgian Lifeguards Warn: A Generation That Can’t Swim
Belgian lifeguards are raising the alarm over a generation that swims significantly less well than previous ones, warning that a combination of pool closures, dwindling lesson availability, and rising summer heatwaves is creating a public safety crisis. With drowning remaining a leading cause of accidental death, experts say the situation demands urgent attention.
“Knowing how to swim should be a basic skill, like walking or reading,” the Ligue francophone belge de sauvetage (LFBS) told DH Les Sports, which broke the story on 30 June 2026. Yet the infrastructure and educational framework needed to teach that skill are eroding across all three regions of Belgium.
A Swimming Pool Crisis
The decline in public swimming infrastructure is stark. Between 1995 and 2019, the number of public swimming pools in Flanders and Brussels dropped from 486 to 299 — a decline of nearly 40%, according to data cited by Inter-Environnement Bruxelles and multiple Belgian media outlets. In Wallonia, the picture is similarly grim: the number of pools fell from 126 in 2015 to 91 in 2023, driven by aging infrastructure and soaring energy costs.
A detailed investigation by Inter-Environnement Bruxelles in June 2024 found that Brussels has just 17 public pools for approximately 1.24 million residents and 340 primary schools, with no new public pool built in the capital since 1988. Four communes — Jette, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Forest, and Auderghem — have no public pool at all. The study warned that the situation is exacerbating social inequality, as only wealthier families can afford private lessons and exclusive club memberships.
Schools Unable to Fulfill Swimming Obligations
Swimming lessons are compulsory from the first year of primary school through the third year of secondary school in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. In practice, however, this obligation is increasingly theoretical. Many schools cannot find available pool time, are too geographically distant from facilities, or cannot afford the transport costs.
In Flanders, nearly 30% of primary schools no longer offer swimming lessons. In Dutch-speaking Brussels schools, that figure rises to 50%. Alexis Rondeau, educational coordinator at the LFBS, described the situation as “a theoretical obligation” that schools can no longer fulfill, notably because pools are “saturated” or too far away.
A Generation at Risk
The consequences are already measurable. Approximately one in three Belgians reports not knowing how to swim or swimming poorly, according to a study cited by Perspective.brussels. Europe as a whole sees roughly 20,000 fatal drownings per year, while Belgium records about 70 fatal drownings annually — many of which could have been prevented if the victims had learned to swim.
Ivan Vloeberghs, a swimming instructor at Piscine Poséidon in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, shared a tragic anecdote with RTBF: “I knew a child who drowned in the canal and the father jumped in to rescue him but he couldn’t swim either.” His warning is blunt: “You need to realize that if you know how to swim, you can at least save someone, even save a loved one.”
The risks are amplified during summer heatwaves. France reported 55 drowning deaths since the start of a June 2026 heatwave, as DH Les Sports reported. Belgium, currently experiencing its own heatwave, faces similar dangers with fewer supervised swimming locations and a population less prepared for water safety.
Social Inequality and the Privatization of Swimming
The crisis has a sharp socioeconomic dimension. As public pools close, private facilities catering to wealthier clientele are expanding. In Brussels alone, there are now more private pools (20) than public ones (17), with the vast majority concentrated in the affluent southeastern quadrant of the region. Membership costs at luxury wellness centers can reach €2,200 per year — far beyond the reach of average families.
The citizen collective “Salzinnes demain” in Namur highlighted this dynamic explicitly: “This shortage of swimming lessons in the city’s pools exacerbates inequalities: only children from wealthy families, who can afford private lessons, can hope to master these essential skills.”
What Comes Next?
Lifeguards and educational experts are calling for significant public investment in pool renovation and construction, as well as policy reforms to ensure that mandatory swimming education can actually be delivered. Without such measures, they warn, the generational skill gap will widen, drowning rates may rise, and a basic life skill will become a privilege of the few.
As Graziella Baradel, director of Piscine Poséidon, noted, swimming instruction has evolved over the years — but the fundamental challenge remains: ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has the opportunity to learn a skill that could one day save their life.