Swimming: Olympic history, rules, latest updates and upcoming events for the Olympic sport
2024.02.07 21:02Skip to main content IOC Gangwon 2024 Paris 2024 Milano Cortina 2026 LA 2028 Brisbane 2032 Museum Shop Olympic Refuge Foundation English Olympic Games Athletes Sports News Olympic Channel Let's Move
Swimming
In association with
Olympic Debut Athens 1896 Most Gold Medals Michael Phelps (USA) More infoHistory of
Swimming
What is Swimming?
Swimming at the Olympics is both an individual and team sport where competitors propel their bodies through water in either an outdoor or indoor swimming pool using one of the following strokes: Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly.
It is not to be confused with Marathon (open water) swimming, or artistic swimming at the Games, which are considered separate disciplines.
By whom, where and when was Swimming invented?
Prehistoric man learned to swim in order to cross rivers and lakes - we know this because cave paintings from the Stone Age depicting swimmers have been found in Egypt. Swimming was also referred to in Greek mythology.
S wimming was not widely practised until the early 19th century, when the National Swimming Society of Great Britain began to hold competitions. Most early swimmers used the breaststroke, or a form of it.
Based on a stroke used by native South Americans, the first version of the crawl featured a scissor kick. In the late 1880s, an Englishman named Frederick Cavill travelled to the South Seas, where he saw the natives performing a crawl with a flutter kick. Cavill settled in Australia, where he taught the stroke that was to become the famous Australian crawl.
What are the rules of Swimming?
Athletes race using one of four strokes - freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly - or all of them in the individual medley (IM) events.
For freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and IM events, swimmers start by diving into the water from an elevated starting platform, while backstrokers (who also start the medley relays) begin in the water grasping a starting block.
In relay races, the second, third, and fourth swimmers on a team can only begin their leg of the race once the previous swimmer has touched the wall.
In all races, swimmers start simultaneously at the sound of a tone, and the first individual to touch the wall of the pool after the set distance is the winner. Any swimmer who dives into the pool before the starting signal is disqualified from the race.
How long is an Olympic swimming pool?
An Olympic swimming pool is 50m long, divided into eight lanes.
Types of swimming
Professional swimmers typically compete in a 50m “long course” swimming pool, or a 25m “short course” pool. There are only long course events at an Olympics Games.
The four strokes swimmers may use in all races are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly.
Marathon swimming is a separate Olympic discipline, where athletes compete over long distances in open water environments (for example rivers, lakes and the sea) using only freestyle.
Swimming and the Olympics
Swimming is one of the oldest Olympic sports, having featured at every modern Olympic Games since Athens 1896. Women began competing at the Stockholm 1912 edition, and the mixed medley relays made their Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
The shortest individual event at the Olympics is the 50m freestyle, while backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly’s shortest race is 100m.
The United States is the most decorated nation with 257 gold medals overall after Tokyo 2020, comfortably ahead of second placed Australia with 69.
The most decorated male Olympic swimmer of all time is USA’s Michael Phelps who, with 23 gold medals (including 13 individual titles) and 28 medals overall, is also the most decorated Olympian of all time in any sport.
His compatriot Katie Ledecky is the most decorated individual female Olympic swimmer ever, with seven gold medals (including six individual titles) and 10 overall.
After athletics, it is the second largest sport at Olympic Games Paris 2024 in terms of medal-contested events with 35.
Best Swimmers to watch
Arguably the greatest female swimmer of all time, seven-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky is still in her prime and could compete at two or three more Games. The American has also won individual Olympic titles in the 200m and 400m free.
Her greatest rival is Australia’s Ariarne Titmus , who won the individual 200m and 400m freestyle Olympic titles at Tokyo 2020.
Titmus’ compatriot Emma McKeon is Australia’s most decorated Olympian. Her four Olympics golds at Tokyo 2020 - including the individual 50m and 100m freestyle titles - and three bronze made her the most decorated Olympian across all sports at the event. She remains one of the world’s top swimmers across both freestyle sprints and the 100m butterfly.
Canada’s Summer McIntosh is considered one of the world’s most exciting swimming talents, having won the 200m butterfly and 400m medley world titles in 2022, at the age of 15.
Caeleb Dressel is considered the king of men’s sprint swimming, having won three individual titles (50m free, 100m free, and 100m butterfly) at Tokyo 2020, and another two in the relays.
His biggest freestyle threat comes from Romania’s David Popovici , who won the 100m and 200m freestyle world titles in 2022 at the age of 17.
Adam Peaty of Great Britain is the greatest male breaststroker of all time, having won Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 as well as becoming the first man ever to swim under 58 and 57 seconds over 100m.
Frenchman Leon Marchand was a revelation in 2022, winning two NCAA titles as a freshman before being crowned the 400 IM and 200 IM world champion in Budapest. But keep an eye on his rivalry with Hungary’s Kristof Milak in the 200 IM and potentially the 200m butterfly.
Swimming Competition Rules at Paris 2024
The Paris 2024 swimming competition will see 852 athletes vying for medals at the Paris La Défense Arena.
New to the Olympic program for Tokyo is a mixed medley relay, which will include teams of two male and two female swimmers per country.
With a total of 17 events per gender and one mixed event, each NOC will be eligible for a maximum quota of two athletes per individual event and one relay team per relay event.
Competition will take place over over nine days for the first time - as opposed to the regular eight-day format. - in order to alleviate the schedules of several swimmers competing in the individual and relay events during the same session.
Preliminary rounds will take place in the morning, followed by semi-finals and finals in the evening session.
How to qualify for Swimming at Paris 2024Swimming spotlight
How to qualify for swimming at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained
Paris 2024 | Olympic Games Originals 01:30Playing Fields | Watch the trailer
Playing Fields Aya GIRARD DE LANGLADE MPALI Originals 15:48Exclusive Aya: the first female swimmer to represent Gabon at the Olympics | Playing Fields
Playing Fields2024 World Aquatics Championships: All results, scores and medals - complete list
Aquatics | Olympic Qualifier | World Aquatics Championships | Doha Chad LE CLOS 41:42Chad Le Clos: South Africa's swimming superstar on 2024 World Aquatics Championships, Paris Olympics, and beating Michael Phelps
Team GB Olympic sport weekend wrap (3-4 February) and what's up next
World Aquatics Championships Doha 2024: Kristof Rasovszky claims men's 10km open water crown
Aquatics | Olympic Qualifier | World Aquatics Championships | DohaWorld Aquatics Championships Doha 2024: Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal regains women's 10km open water title
Aquatics | Olympic Qualifier | World Aquatics Championships | DohaGreat Britain at the Aquatics World Championships, featuring the return of Adam Peaty and Tom Daley
Aquatics | Olympic Qualifier | World Aquatics Championships | DohaTeam GB Olympic sport weekend wrap (27-28 January) and what's up next
Best of Tokyo 2020
SwimmingWhat we learned: Swimming wrap-up from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Tokyo 2020 | Olympic Games Caeleb DRESSEL 00:27Medal Moment | Tokyo 2020: Swimming - C Dressel (USA)
Tokyo 2020 | Olympic Games Swimming Replay 02:04:02Exclusive Finals - Swimming | Tokyo 2020 Replays
Tokyo 2020 | Olympic Games Ariarne TITMUS 00:35Medal Moment | Tokyo 2020: Swimming Women's 200m Freestyle - A Titmus (AUS)
Tokyo 2020 | Olympic Games Summer MCINTOSH 02:50Canada's golden girl Summer McIntosh: Why it's all about work ethic
Tokyo 2020 | Olympic GamesOlympic Channel
Discover & relive past events, watch Original Films & Series related to Swimming in Olympic Channel Related Originals View all Olympic Games Paris 2024 Results & Medals Replays & Highlights All Olympic Games Olympic Channel TV Channel Live Events Original Series Corporate News Podcast Topics Explore Athletes Sports Cookie Policy Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service Copyright 2024. All rights reserved- USA Swimming Home
9 Health Benefits of Swimming · 1. Swimming Can Help You Live Longer · 2. Swimming Can Help Keep You Lean · 3. Swimming Boosts Heart Health · 4. - 12 Benefits of Swimming: Weight Loss, Health, and More
The meaning of SWIMMING is that swims. How to use swimming in a sentence. - U.S. Masters Swimming: Homepage
Перевод контекст "swimming" c английский на русский от Reverso Context: go swimming, outdoor swimming pool, indoor swimming pool, swimming season, ... - Open Water Swimming: A Complete Guide for Swimmers and ...
Swimming is a great recreational activity for people of all ages. Recreational swimming can provide you with a low-impact workout and it's a good way to relax ... - 10 Hidden Benefits of Swimming
Finlin just misses Olympic open water qualification · Finlin upgraded to Olympic qualifier after near-miss · Canadians kick off 2024 Citi Para Swimming World ... - Swimming | Definition, History, Strokes, & Facts
Featured Events · 15th and 16th June 2024 · Scottish National Open Water Championships · Castle Semple Loch, Lochwinnoch · 15th and 16th June 2024 · Scottish ... - Занятия по программе «SWIMMING» в Москве в клубах ...
Swimming is an excellent way to work your entire body and cardiovascular system. An hour of swimming burns almost as many calories as running, ... - Motion Control of Biomimetic Swimming Robots
... swimmer travel with one stroke? This is the most efficient swimming, it is slow and the body must stay in balance in order to glide a long time. 'Why Swim ... - World Aquatics
Just two and a half hours per week of aerobic physical activity, such as swimming, bicycling, or running, can decrease the risk of chronic illnesses. ... This can ... - At the swimming pool | LearnEnglish Teens
In this video you will learn how to swim from a total beginner to feeling comfortable in the swimming pool and sea.