Summary: The changing face of working class swimming

Civic action around sports and exercise came about in Kuo­pio in the late 19th century, when some of the workers brought into town by industrialization began to do sports together in what little free time they had. The birth of the working class swimming club in 1966 was facilitated by the strong presence of the political left, the rising popularity of physical exercise and the opening of a new swimming hall. The first decade of the working class swimming club’s existence was a time of tremendous excitement. Above all, the club’s activity focused on bringing physical exercise to large masses of people such as children and youngsters and addressing the lack of exercise among laborers as well as educating people on global citizenship.

Kuo­pi­on Työ­väen Ui­ma­rit (translates to Kuo­pio Workers’ Swimming Club) has acted as a protective community – a sort of bubble within the welfare state, providing a sense of social security for its members. With its actions, Kuo­pi­on Työ­väen Ui­ma­rit has improved the conditions for and promoted the equality of swimmers in Kuo­pio. Changes in sports culture such as new events becoming more prevalent have led to the transformation of the club, and in 2012 it became KUTU Tri­ath­lon. What is most important about this change is that it was motivated by the will of the members themselves and as such it was born out of the needs of the people. It seems that the needs and rights of the exercising public have an increasingly significant role in the sports culture of the future.