Sports and Wellbeing Committee approved the needs assessment for the Espoonlahti swimming centre and outdoor swimming pool

The Sports and Wellbeing Committee proposes that a swimming centre and outdoor swimming pool be built in the Espoonlahti Sports Park. The Espoonlahti swimming pool that was opened in 1983 will be demolished once the new swimming centre has been completed.

In addition to fitness swimming, people visit swimming pools for many other water activities, such as water running, water aerobics, swimming instruction and different water sports. The new swimming pools must be suitable for these different purposes. The pools must also be easily adaptable, using adjustable floors for example.

“Swimming is an important basic skill in which Espoo needs to invest even more in the future. Swimming is also a low-threshold form of exercise that is suitable for people of different ages and levels of fitness. The population of Espoo is constantly increasing. We justifiably need to invest in creating more opportunities for swimming so that people can engage in sufficient and diverse swimming activities, including competitive swimming,” says Terhi Valkeapää, Chair of the Sports and Wellbeing Committee.

Currently, only the Leppävaara swimming hall has an outdoor swimming pool and a deep multi-purpose pool with a five-metre high diving platform which are popular among children and young people. Earlier swimming pool projects in Espoo, such as the one in Matinkylä, have left out high diving platforms and deep pools under the justification that they will be built in Espoonlahti.

In addition to water running and platform diving, a deep multi-purpose pool can be used for artistic swimming, underwater diving, underwater rugby, water polo, deep water fitness and teaching lifesaving skills, for example. A deep multi-purpose pool that meets international standards is also important for competitions and training in Espoo.

“A deep multi-purpose pool is the heart of a swimming centre. Its efficient use is the answer to customers’ wishes about having more diverse services at swimming pools,” says Martti Merra, Sports Director in Espoo.

The number of visitors to the Leppävaara outdoor swimming pool is at its maximum, and there is a need for another outdoor swimming pool for southern Espoo in the future. Between the major districts of Espoo, Espoonlahti is growing the most, due to which it is a natural choice for a new outdoor swimming pool. Thanks to the metro, the transport connections are also good.

If the outdoor swimming pool is built in connection with the swimming centre, it could also be used for winter swimming, for example.

The Premises Department starts the actual project planning on the basis of the needs assessment. The City Council decides on the implementation of the project.

The Sports and Wellbeing Committee approved the Espoo Wellbeing Plan, which will guide measures that promote wellbeing in Espoo at the urban level during this council term.

The focus areas of the plan are increasing communality, promoting safety and strengthening mental wellbeing. The objectives have been defined by age group, and their realisation is monitored regularly. The wellbeing plan will be submitted for the approval of the City Council of Espoo in March.

The Committee also took note of the city-level plan for preventive substance abuse work, which supports the implementation of the wellbeing plan.

“The wellbeing plan and the plan for preventive substance abuse work support each other. They are important and significant in their broad scope as we are building the future of a healthy and safe Espoo. Promoting wellbeing, health and inclusion should be at the top of the list of objectives for each institution of the city, as a healthy population lays the foundation for a safe society,” Valkeapää says.

The Committee took note of the responses of the Sports and Exercise Unit to the Council initiatives concerning the Hyljelahti beach, the use of Kaikukortti for sports services, and the provision of affordable horse riding for children in Espoo.

Establishing a beach in the region of Hyljelahti–Rullaniemi would require extensive investment and continuous maintenance. The current state of the water system is not suitable for swimming without extensive restoration measures. The Sports and Exercise Unit does not have the necessary resources at its disposal to implement the project, and it considers the current beach network to be comprehensive.

The Sports and Exercise Unit will participate in the expansion pilot of Kaikukortti in March by introducing various gym courses. Kaikukortti cardholders and those who have been selected for the courses can attend, free of charge. One aim of the pilot is to share information to the Kaikukortti users about the abundance of other free options for sports and exercise. The pilot will be assessed and the results will determine whether it will continue in the autumn’s selection of courses.

The city has supported riding clubs by thinking about different horse-related hobbies that could meet the support criteria for sports and exercise for children and young people. This has helped recover the activity of horse riding clubs. Previously, the responsibility for organising hobbies rested on private, profit-oriented riding schools. According to the principles of the Sports and Wellbeing Committee, private activities cannot be supported.

The Sports and Wellbeing Committee has drawn up equal principles on the treatment of clubs. The Committee does not want to treat girls and boys differently, so all contributions and support are based on the number of children and young people who engage in the hobby in question.

In addition, the Sports and Wellbeing Committee took note of the preliminary financial statements of the Sports and Exercise Unit for 2025.

Read more about the decisions made during the meeting.(external link, opens in a new window)