Swimming

Federation: FINA

First Played: 1837, London, England

Team Members: 1, 2, or 4

Equipment: Cap, Goggles, Swimsuit

Field: Both outdoor and indoor

Olympic Participation: Men: 1896, Women: 1912

Description:

Swimming is a sport that takes place in internationally standardized pools (50 meters, 8 lanes), where competitors use only their body movements—arms and legs—without any assistance. Each competitor races in their designated lane using freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, or a combination of all four styles, in distances of 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500 meters, either individually or as a team.

History:

The first outdoor swimming pool was built in Liverpool in 1828, followed by competitions in Australia in 1846. After 1882, various swimming federations were established in European countries. The organization of swimming as a sport in the USA was solidified with the founding of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in 1882. With the beginning of the modern Olympic Games, swimming events were included in the Olympic competitions. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) was established in 1908.

Field Dimensions:

These are referred to as full Olympic (long course) pools. The dimensions for international standard Olympic swimming pools are 25 meters wide, 50 meters long, and a minimum depth of 2 meters. They can be a minimum of 21m x 50m in size and have 10 lanes, each 2.5 meters wide. To minimize side wave effects on competitors during races, only the middle 8 lanes are used, while the first and last lanes are not. The water temperature is maintained between 25 °C and 27 °C. Length: 50 meters Depth: 2 meters Number of Lanes: 10.