Following her retirement, Australian Olympic swimming champion Emma McKeon traveled to Bangladesh for a five-day visit as an ambassador for UNICEF. This visit deeply impressed upon her the severity of child drowning in the region, and she resolved to contribute to improving this situation. McKeon met with a Bangladeshi mother who tragically lost her two-year-old child to drowning and was deeply moved, stating, "You can imagine how heartbroken she was." At the time, there was a lack of formal swimming programs in the area.
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02-22, 2025In Gazipur, a city with a population of over 2.6 million on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital, McKeon spent hours on the muddy riverbanks, encouraging local children learning to swim. The children were learning to swim using bamboo structures. McKeon stated that she had been focused on swimming training and competitions in the past and had not been able to participate in such activities, which is precisely the cause she has long been passionate about.
UNICEF has established two swimming safety programs in Bangladesh, aimed at reducing the country's shocking child drowning rate. McKeon pointed out that the children are learning to swim in ponds, under conditions far inferior to those in Australia. Their learning focuses not on various swimming strokes, but on how to save themselves after falling into the water and how to swim back to shore.
McKeon also interacted with a group of teenage girls learning to surf with the support of UNICEF. She mentioned that it is not easy for girls to participate in surfing in the local cultural context. Bangladesh is known for its rich traditions of music and dance, but it is also one of the most densely populated and impoverished countries in the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, aid organizations such as UNICEF have been providing targeted assistance.
McKeon expressed concern about the local rates of child marriage and school enrollment. She believes that these programs can show girls their potential. The plight of Bangladesh touched McKeon's heart, who grew up in the thriving city of Wollongong, south of Sydney, and later moved to Brisbane to pursue her Olympic dream. She reflected on the equal opportunities she and her brother had. Her parents run a swimming school, and she has always believed that "even one drowning is too many."
At the end of her visit, McKeon visited a desalination plant and a refugee camp. The Royal Life Saving Society Australia's summer drowning report shows that, as of now, 92 people have drowned in Australian waters. During the same reporting period last year, a total of 134 people drowned, about 34% of whom were born overseas. McKeon said, "These numbers shouldn't be this way, learning to swim is an important survival skill."
Back home on the Gold Coast, McKeon launched a fundraising campaign this week with a goal of raising $250,000 to help expand UNICEF's work in Bangladesh. She stated that this will be her focus for the next period of time.
