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Swimming and diving. (2026). In Q-files Encyclopedia, Culture, Sport. Retrieved from
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"Swimming and diving." Culture, Sport, Q-files Encyclopedia, 13 May. 2026.
https://www.q-files.com/culture/sport/swimming-and-diving.
Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.
Swimming and diving 2026. Culture, Sport. Retrieved 6 August 2026, from
https://www.q-files.com/culture/sport/swimming-and-diving
Culture, Sport, s.v. "Swimming and diving," accessed August 6, 2026.
https://www.q-files.com/culture/sport/swimming-and-diving
Swimming and diving
Swimming was not a competitive sport until the late 19th century. It has been part of the Olympics since the modern games began in 1896. Swimmers use one of four strokes—front crawl (known as freestyle in competitive swimming), breaststroke, backstroke or butterfly—to race against other swimmers, separated into lanes along the pool. The first modern diving competition was held in England in about 1880. It has been an Olympic sport since 1904. Divers jump from a platform or flexible springboard and perform acrobatics in mid-air before landing in the water.
Swimming strokes
Freestyle, or front crawl, is the fastest swimming stroke. Swimmers kick their legs while reaching one arm forwards with the elbow kept high, then repeat this movement with the other arm, pulling the water back. In breaststroke, swimmers bend their knees and then kick them out together in a V-shape (a "frog kick"). At the same time they push their hands forward and then sweep their arms back either side of the body.
In the backstroke, swimmers lie on their backs and kick with their legs held together. Meanwhile, one arm at a time reaches up past the head and sweeps back through the water. Butterfly swimmers flex their whole body in a wave-like movement with the feet held together in a "dolphin kick". The arms reach forward—both at the same time—to pull the water back.
Swimming events
There are a number of swimming events, for different strokes and different distances, for men and women separately, competing individually or in teams of four. Indoor swimming races are held in 50-metre (55-yard) long pools with starting blocks from which competitors dive in at the start. In backstroke races, competitors begin in the water. Touch-sensitive pads record competitors' swimming times. Events are either of individual strokes, or medley races where all four are used. Pool events cover from 100 metres to 1500 metres (110–1640 yards), while the Olympic outdoor open race is over 10 kilometres (6.25 miles).
Artistic swimming
Artistic swimming (once known as synchronized swimming) began when Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman performed water acrobatics in the USA in 1907. It became an Olympic sport for women in 1984. The sport involves swimmers performing acrobatics under and on the water, accompanied by music. Performers wear wire or plastic clips to stop water entering their noses underwater. Since 2000, the Olympics has run events for pairs and teams of eight (from 2024, men were able to compete in the team event). These events often involve the swimmers performing sequences of identical movements.
Water polo
First played in London in 1874, water polo was an Olympic sport from 1900, with a women’s event starting 100 years later. The game is played in a pool with goals at each end. A red line 2 metres (6.5 feet) from the goal line marks the area within which no attacking player can receive the ball.
Teams of seven, one of them a goalkeeper, attempt to throw or knock a ball into the opponent’s goal. They must stay afloat at all times. Players either throw the ball to a team mate or push it in front of them, while opponents try to grab the ball or knock it free. Fouls are common in water polo. They include pushing or holding an opponent not in possession of the ball, or using both hands either to touch the ball or to defend a shot. Serious fouls within 4 metres (13 feet) of the goal line are punished with a penalty, a free throw at goal from 5 metres (16 feet).
Diving
In forward dives, the diver faces the water and rotates forward. In a reverse dive, the diver faces the water and rotates towards the board. Divers face away from the water for backward dives and rotate backwards. For an inward dive, the diver rotates forwards from the same position. A twisting dive is any dive where the body is twisted to the left or right. An armstand dive is begun from a handstand position. Diving in a tuck position is when the body is bent at the waist and knees, with thighs close to the chest and heels close to the buttocks. Pike is when the legs are straight and the body is bent at the waist. Straight is when the body is not bent, although the back may be slightly arched. Free is when the diver uses more than one position and includes a somersault or twist in the dive.
Diving scoring
Divers either perform individually, or in synchronized pairs—an Olympic event since 2000 in which both dives must be identical. A panel of judges scores a dive on the standard of the starting position, approach, take-off, flight and entry into the water. This score is multiplied by the degree of difficulty of the dive to give a final total. The degree of difficulty takes into account such things as the number of somersaults and twists and the level from which the diver jumped.
Consultant: Sean Callery
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