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Traditional lake swim entices shivery swimmers

Fooling around before taking the plunge Keystone

Over a thousand people plunged into the chilly waters of Lake Geneva on Sunday for the annual Christmas Cup swim.

At 6.7 degrees Celsius, the water temperature was considered “very cold”, but not “icy”, said organiser Christophe Jacot.

The water temperature was relatively warm compared to 2005, when it dropped to just under 5 degrees.

The shivery participants, some dressed in Father Christmas costumes, swam a distance of 120 metres.

The event has been going since 1932. While some swimmers still take on the course as a race, others enter just for fun.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR