Throughout the week of 28 November, a winter swimming festival will be held in the Admiralty Inlet of the port of Tallinn, the Estonian capital, which will also host the opening stage of the winter swimming World Cup this year.
“Indeed, everyone – those who feel like a fish in water as well as those taking their first steps in winter swimming – are welcome at this event. In any case, I invite everyone who has not made a final decision to still take part in the festival, because in addition to strengthening the body’s immunity, it is also a cool challenge for the mind,” Monika Haukanõmm, the head of the capital’s City Centre district, said.
She added that, over the years, the festival had become a popular event for winter swimmers for the atmosphere alone.
Help people opt for a healthier lifestyle
According to Erkki Kasenurm, a member of the organising team, the aim is to provide winter swimming communities with active entertainment and help people opt for a healthier lifestyle. Thus, from Monday to Friday, the Iceswim Festival will feature community distance swimming.
“Each participant can swim at a freely chosen time, a freely chosen distance and a freely chosen number of times, and the swimming style is free. The goal is simple – to find out which community can swim the most meters. Every 25 metres, the distance is registered for the community that the swimmer represents,” Kasenurm said.
Next weekend, the opening stage of the International Winter Swimming Association World Cup will be held in the same pool, with participants from more than 20 countries expected to take part. The last time a World Cup stage took place in Estonia was in the spring of 2017.
