Record-breaking joy of swimming in the heart of Copenhagen

Enthusiasm for open-water swimming and TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim is greater than ever. With almost all start numbers sold, this year’s event set a new participant record with more than 5,830 participants – several hundred more than last year’s record.

The strong support is a great source of joy for Pia Johansen, Chair of the Board at SvømDanmark.

“It is a tremendous joy to feel the strong support for TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim. Never before have so many people signed up, and the fact that we can also announce that the event is completely sold out shows what a major swimming experience it has become for both swim-loving Danes and international open-water swimmers. There is something truly special about filling Copenhagen’s canals with almost 6,000 swimmers,” says Pia Johansen.

Behind the thousands of swimmers is a large team of volunteers, sponsors and partners who help create the setting for the swimming celebration every year.

“A huge thank you goes to all our sponsors, partners and volunteers, who have worked incredibly hard to create the best possible setting for TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim. Without them, it would simply not be possible to bring so many people together for an experience like this,” says Pia Johansen.

From 260 to almost 6,000 swimmers

This year’s participant record comes in a very special year. It is 20 years since TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim was first held. In 2006, just 260 participants made their way through the canals. Since then, the event has grown year after year and developed into an international swimming celebration in the heart of Copenhagen.

“When we look back on the 20 years that have passed since TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim was first held, there is a great deal to be proud of. The event has developed into a public celebration where both recreational and elite swimmers from all over the world come together around the joy of water and swimming,” says Pia Johansen, adding:

“Being able to mark the anniversary with both a participant record and an almost sold-out event is simply fantastic.”

Joy in the water goes hand in hand with water safety

TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim is first and foremost about the joy of swimming, community and experiences in the water. But when thousands of people head out into open water, there is also an important focus on safety and strong water skills.

“TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim shows how powerfully water can bring people together around community, exercise and great experiences. But the joy of water goes hand in hand with confidence and safety. When thousands of people swim through the Copenhagen canals every year, it is also an important reminder of how crucial it is to be safe in the water,” says Pia Johansen.

Water safety is precisely an area that SvømDanmark, together with the event’s title sponsor TrygFonden, as well as DGI and the Danish School Sports Association, has placed extra focus on. A few months ago, the organisations launched new national bathing advice designed to make it easier for children, young people and adults to assess their own abilities and learn more about what it means to be safe in the water.

The rain could not wash away the swimming celebration

While the participant record and anniversary gave plenty of reason to smile, the weather forecast created some excitement in the run-up to this year’s event. Heavy rain can affect the water quality in Copenhagen’s canals.

That is why SvømDanmark was in ongoing dialogue with the City of Copenhagen’s bathing water service both before and during the event, while the water quality was closely monitored. Fortunately, Friday’s rain did not put a stop to the swimming.

And although the sun was not exactly high in the sky all weekend, the good mood was hard to wash away.

“The weather gods were with us and sent the worst of the bad weather elsewhere. There was a little drizzle on both Friday and Saturday, but both the swimmers and our volunteers took it all with big smiles and good spirits,” says Pia Johansen.

No swimming celebration without sponsors and volunteers

A swimming event like TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim simply could not take place without the more than 150 volunteers who tirelessly help before, during and after the event.

In the same way, we could not swim around the Danish Parliament without the help of our sponsors. Each of them helps elevate our event in their own way.

• TrygFonden: Title sponsor, lifeguards and safety.

• Craft: T-shirts for participants, as well as T-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets for volunteers and a discount code for participants.

• Krüger Veolia: Sponsor of the Krüger Relay and the water bar at the event site.

• REMA 1000: Sponsor of the REMA 1000-meter, as well as drinks and fruit for participants.

• Speedo/Svømmespecialisten: Swim caps, prizes and a discount code for participants.

• The European Commission: Collaboration on clean water.

In addition, we also owe a big thank you to the City of Copenhagen, By & Havn and other authorities such as the emergency services and the police for supporting TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim.

Briefly about TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim

• The largest open-water swimming event in the Nordic region, with more than 5,830 registered participants, 35% of whom were international participants.

• Anniversary year – 20 years since the very first TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim was held. Back then, with 260 participants.

• Distances of 1,000, 2,000 and 10,000 m, as well as the Krüger Relay of 4x500 m.

• More than 150 volunteers helped with registration, timing, logistics, announcing during the event and much more.

• The event starts and finishes at the Royal Danish Library on Søren Kierkegaards Plads in Copenhagen.

• Participants swim anticlockwise around Slotsholmen – they start at the Royal Danish Library, swim under Knippelsbro and into the canal, past the Danish Parliament and into Frederiksholm Canal, after which they swim out by BLOX and finish at the Royal Danish Library.

• The event’s title sponsor is TrygFonden, and the other main sponsors are Krüger Veolia, REMA 1000, the European Commission, Craft, Speedo and Svømmespecialisten.