National Swimming Campaign Launched at Ásvallarlaug

Let’s swim together

Syndum – the national swimming initiative was launched for the fifth time yesterday, Monday, November 3d, at our Ásvallalaug pool. Swimmers from Hafnarfjörður dove into the pool to applause on this occasion.

Swimmers in Hafnarfjörður have been very diligent in recording their meters in Syndum in recent years. Ásvallalaug had the most kilometers swum in both 2023 and 2024.

“This is the fifth time the initiative has been launched. Last year we swam 32.171 km. We aim to beat that this year. That’s about 24 laps around the country that we’re swimming. Incredible,” said Willum Þór Þórsson, president of ÍSÍ, when he launched the initiative.

Syndum is a health and motivation campaign in swimming that runs from November 1st–30th. The goal of Syndum is to encourage the public to be more active and move more in their daily lives. The initiative is supported by the European Commission under the European Week of Sport.

Valdimar Víðisson, the mayor of Hafnarfjörður, also gave a speech at the opening. He spoke to the children who were eagerly waiting to begin the challenge. He said that swimming is one of the best sports there is.

“Swimming builds self-confidence, strengthens body and mind, and gives people of all ages an opportunity to engage in healthy and beneficial physical activity,” he pointed out. It is no coincidence that Hafnarfjörður places great emphasis on improving facilities for swimming.

“We are stepping it up. The outdoor area of Ásvallalaug will be expanded in the coming years with new pools and relaxation areas, and continued efforts will be made to further improve these facilities for both elite athletes and the general public.”

He encourages the people of Hafnarfjörður to swim together, swim for their health, and swim for joy.

• All registered swimming meters are collected and displayed on the homepage of www.syndum.is.