Swimmers take icy plunge in Stockholm

In Sweden, there is a strange winter sport. Every winter, people go swimming in ice cold water. It's becoming popular. This year, there were 156 swimmers from 10 countries.

Kalle is the organiser.

Kalle: "So, today we have 1.9 celsius degrees in the water and we have about 156 swimmers joining us."

Many of the athletes are from Latvia. Maria was happy to go into the freezing water.

Maria Yrjö-Koskinen: "So, this is a dream come true to be in beautiful Stockholm and this is a healthy lifestyle. We love it! We say, 'the colder the water, the warmer the friendship'."

More people are trying this sport. They believe it is healthy. Aleksander from Latvia loves it.

Aleksander: "You know this is excellent treatment, excellent opportunity to keep your body in a good fit and your mind clear, to get the positive emotions."

Anne-Françoise is from Belgium. She practises in an outdoor pool. This was her first race.

Anne-Françoise Melot: "It's amazing! The adrenaline, I'm not even cold as you can see. From an outsider's point of view, you must think we are nuts but it's such a blessing."

This is the first race for some swimmers. But Lars started as a teenager. He is now 73.

Lars Avellan: "I started as a young teenager, so I've done it for a very long time."

Will you be going for a cold swim next winter?

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