05/06/2026
On 16 October 1957, hundreds of school children and residents gathered in Causeway Bay.
They came to watch Governor Sir Alexander Grantham open the old Victoria Park Swimming Pool — Hong Kong's very first public pool! 🌟
Admission was just 50 cents for adults and 30 cents for children.
A simple, deliberate step towards making swimming something everyone could do. In its first year alone, the pool welcomed over 360,000 swimmers.
Fast forward to today, and Hong Kong has dozens of world-class public pools.
But nearly half our population still cannot swim.
Having a pool in your neighbourhood doesn’t mean much if you've never had the opportunity, the safety or the means to learn how to float.
We turn these spaces into places of transformation and wellbeing for communities across the city. Just this past week, over 1,100 children, teens and adults — all of whom faced barriers to swimming — joined us in the pool. 🏊🤽🏼
In 1957, Hong Kong made a beautiful promise: swimming, for everyone.
Decades on, we like to think we're keeping it alive. 💙
