Entering the Winter Swimming World Championships, Finland 2026
- natashasones
- 33 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Continuing my wild swimming adventures journey, I have entered my craziest event yet - entering the the Winter Swimming World Championship and swimming the freezing cold waters of Finland!
I am so excited to join one of the biggest events in winter swimming organised by the International Winter Swimming Association.
This unique winter sports event is held every 2 years and in 2026 it takes part in Oulu. 20 years ago, when the International Winter Swimming Association was founded, the Championship was held in Oulu, Finland.
I have entered the 50m breaststroke race in below freezing temperatures. Competitors are only allowed to wear a swimming costume and one or two swimming caps. No gloves, hats, fins or neoprene-based swimming costumes are allowed. At the previous event in Tallinn they had to break the ice by hand in the morning of the event. For the ice in Oulu they have to use a chainsaw and it has been 70cm thick!
Winter Swimming World Championship 2026
A special 25 m x 25 m competition swimming pool is being built on the ice of the Oulujoki estuary on the shore of Raatti. With more than 15 different distances and disciplines, and 2,000+ winter swimmers from around the world in 45 different countries, Oulu returns to leave a mark in winter swimming history.
The World Championships are contested in 15 different age groups, making it a truly democratic sport and allowing participation by people of all ages. The oldest participants are over 85 years old and the youngest are 10-12 years old. The competitions also include a series for para-athletes, whose participation in the competitions is increasing every year.
The Bluetits
I can't wait to share this adventure especially with Bluetit friends - old and new. We swam together in the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships 2025 at Tooting Bec Lido. At this event the water was a chilly 5 degrees.
The Bluetits will be at this event in force, after 80 odd Bluetits competed in Estonia and 30 in Slovenia previously. I'm delighted to be part of the Global Bluetit team in Finland, taking part on a world stage. In 2024 the Global Bluetits put forward 18 relay teams, came home with a decent handful of medals and staked their places on the world ice swimming leaderboard. I'm not expecting a medal for speed but a participation one will be more than enough for me!
Finland
We all know I love Finland - I have dipped in the ice at Karu Lodge in Luosto, swam in the Allas Sea Pool in Helsink and solo paddleboarded in Helsinki.
It is estimated that there are over 500,000 winter swimming enthusiasts in Finland.
An international seminar on the health effects of winter swimming and research on cold weather will also be organized in connection with the Oulu World Championship.
The world's largest ice sauna will also be completed for the Event.
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