Event Review: Winter Swimming World Championships, Oulu, Finland
Ice, sauna and auroras – Rowan Clarke discovers the wonders of racing in the ice in Finland
How do you prepare to compete in water below freezing? As we watched videos of our competition pool being cut out of the ice-bound Ämmänväylä lake in Oulu, the 30cm thick ice blocks being removed by a forklift truck to build a huge ice sauna, our attempts at ‘training’ felt seriously lacking.
Organised by International Winter Swimming Association, the Winter Swimming World Championships is a truly joyful, inclusive bi-annual celebration of global winter swimming. In its 26th year, it was back in Finland, making a return to the city of Oulu, on the northwest coast. Twenty years ago, 980 swimmers came to Oulu for the championships. This year, around 2,000 participants from 45 different countries took part in different distances and disciplines from the classic 25m breaststroke to the challenging 450m freestyle.
Nice and icy
Frozen bodies of water, snowy landscapes, and temperatures well below freezing are exciting for any ice swimmer, especially those travelling from temperate climates. Oulu is one of the world’s largest cities with a subarctic climate – its average annual temperature is just 3.3°C.
Ahead of the competition, my team and I felt a weird juxtaposition of excitement about the ice and snow and abject terror at the idea of racing in sub-zero conditions. We anxiously watched the weather forecast, relieved to watch the air temperature climb from -20°C to a balmy -6°C in the week before the event – ever conscious that our local lake was too warm for proper acclimatisation.
Arriving in Oulu by sleeper train from Helsinki ahead of the competition, we decided that we needed to find somewhere to dip. We found a part of the Oulujoki River in an area of Oulu called Tuira, where water flowing from a pipe keeps a small pool from freezing over – perfect for an acclimatising dip.
It was every bit as brutal as we feared. But, we found the wonderful public sauna, Löylykontti, on the water’s edge, and after a few more dips, we’d taken the edge of our fear. Our ice swimming adventure had begun.
The competition kicked off on the Tuesday with 25m ice butterfly, 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle, and finished with the relays and super-finals on the Saturday. On Friday night, we attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous relay set in Tallinn, Estonia in 2024, although we fell around 50 swimmers short.
Take off your clothes, get in the water
Each race begins with the signature winter swimming starters orders: “Take off your clothes, get in the water”. Gold, silver and bronze medals are handed out to winners in each age category and the para categories. For talented ice swimmers of all ages and abilities, it’s a chance to stand on the podium – from USA’s Atticus Rice Feldman’s wins in the A1 Male category (under 14s) to the UK’s Ellery McGowan who won six medals in the women’s J2 category (80–85).
But, in the pool, the last place swimmers get as much of a cheer as the winners. That’s what I love about this event – entry is self-selection, which makes it truly democratic. You don’t have to be fast, competitive or a particular age, nationality or ability to take part – it’s all about the love of cold water and the international winter swimming community.
A global celebration
While the races are the focus of the Winter Swimming World Championship, it’s much more than that. A true reflection of the spirit of cold water swimming, the post-race saunas, parties and events, and the warmth of the community is what makes it such a wonderful celebration.
Finland, known for its sauna culture, was never going to disappoint on that front. From the incredible (but not very warm) ice sauna to the football sauna, there were seven poolside saunas in which to warm up and share that post-swim high with fellow competitors.
The opening ceremony, karaoke parties, and closing parties brought more fun, with national displays of music and cold water rituals. We loved the joyous singing of the Latvians, the incredible felted wool hats of one of the Danish teams, and the warm, infectious energy of the Azerbaijani-Estonian Banya hosts.
But it was the post-world record attempt display by nature that really topped off the event for us. Leaving the venue at around midnight, we saw the magnificent aurora borealis. It was pure good fortune, but it was also a reminder of where the joy of cold water swimming begins and ends for us all – with the wonder of the natural world.
No matter how well you prepare, no matter how brilliantly organised the event is, no matter how many (or how few!) medals you win, the thrill, the privilege and the joy comes from immersing in winter. And, the WSWC 2026 was the best celebration of winter that we could have hoped for.
