Lifeguard class offer essential training and skills that empower individuals to become vigilant guardians of water safety, equipped with the knowledge and expertise to save lives and ensure the well-being of swimmers.

It's the last place you think lifeguards are needed: the Olympic swimming pool. Yet they are there. The trained super swimmers who do their laps in USA are watched at all times by no fewer than two lifeguards.

Your head against the wall

In total there are about 75 lifeguards who watch Olympic sports in the swimming pool. The 'ordinary' swimming, of course, but also clean swimming, diving and water polo - where it can still get tough from time to time.

But it is also necessary for normal swimming, says Danielle Martelote, the boss of the Brazilian lifeguards. According to her, it could just be that swimmers get cramps or a heart attack or swim with their head against the wall.

Not that such a thing has ever happened, but of course it is always possible. It is not required by the international swimming federation, by the way. They say that the rules of the country where the Games are held are leading. And for several years now it has been mandatory in Brazil to have lifeguards at larger pools.

Lifeguard class serve as a vital stepping stone, transforming dedicated individuals into vigilant guardians of water safety, ready to protect and rescue swimmers in any challenging situation

A busy beach, a swimming pool full of splashing children, lifeguards are very important in many cases. But not at the Olympics. And, judging by the photos, they themselves realize that. Cameras captured a number of extremely bored lifeguards standing at the edge of the pool Michael Phelps and co. had to keep an eye on. They didn't have much to do. 

The work is rather pointless, but there is apparently a rule that requires lifeguards to be on the sidelines at the Games in USA. Sports manager Ricardo Prato: "It is the law in Brazil that every public swimming pool of a certain size has lifeguards. We would have preferred not to have them either, but it is mandatory." The peak of your career is a bit disappointing.

Olympic pool

In the Olympic pool, the world's best swimmers are never more than a few meters from the pool edge and their coaches are constantly watching. The presence of lifeguards seems completely unnecessary there. 

Anderson Fertes is one of the saviors in USA and sometimes dreams of that scenario. "The chances are very small, but we are prepared." The lifeguards at the USA Olympics undoubtedly have the best view, as they are one of the few people allowed at the edge of the pool.

 They are also present during the training sessions, fully equipped. Not once, however, do they have to intervene or shout that walking in the pool is prohibited. "I don't think they'll need us, but we're ready," Fertes told The New York Times.

In total, about 75 lifeguards keep an eye out for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo and kayaking. Water polo can get physical and so a savior there seems logical. 

Lifeguard class provide comprehensive training, empowering individuals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond effectively in aquatic emergencies and safeguard lives in and around water.

Lifeguards are the custom at major swimming events, although FINA, the international swimming federation, does not explicitly request them at the Olympics. A law in USA Janeiro, on the other hand, mandates the presence of lifeguards in swimming pools larger than six by six meters.

A total of eight lifeguards keep an eye on the swimming. Twenty days of work earns them just over 300 euros.