123-449: Diego Quiroga (born 9 February 1961) is an Ecuadorian swimmer . He competed in two events at the 1980 Summer Olympics . This biographical article related to an Ecuadorian swimmer is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Swimming (sport) Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in
246-432: A cook from the city of Elis , was the first Olympic champion, which indicates that the competition was not limited to the aristocracy. The Olympics were of fundamental religious importance, and the sporting events, which were held alongside ritual sacrifices honouring both Zeus (whose famous statue by Phidias stood in his temple at Olympia ) and Pelops (divine hero and mythical king of Olympia), did not start until
369-471: A cost overrun of 76%, Sochi 2014 of 289%. It has been documented that cost and cost overrun for the Games follow a power-law distribution , which means that, first, the Games are prone to large cost overruns and, second, it is only a matter of time until an overrun occurs that is larger than the largest to date. In short, hosting the Games is economically and financially extremely risky. The final cost for
492-418: A cycle of training in which the body is overloaded with work in the beginning and middle segments of the cycle, and then the workload is decreased in the final stage as the swimmer approaches competition. The practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition is called tapering . Tapering is used to give the swimmer's body some rest without stopping exercise completely. A final stage
615-450: A drag suit include the depletion of proper stroke. This is caused by the swimmer's own fatigue. When the swimmer becomes more fatigued, different muscle groups become more tired. Consequently, the swimmer will try to engage another group of muscle to do the same thing, which can cause the stroke efficiency to drop. Elite and international swimming comprises the highest level of competition available to swimmers, including competitions such as
738-458: A model for future Games. Budget overruns are common for the Games. Average overrun for Games since 1960 is 156% in real terms, which means that actual costs turned out to be on average 2.56 times the budget that was estimated at the time of winning the bid to host the Games. Montreal 1976 had the highest cost overrun for Summer Games, and for any Games, at 720%; Lake Placid 1980 had the highest cost overrun for Winter Games, at 324%. London 2012 had
861-710: A national Olympic festival held annually from 1796 to 1798 in Revolutionary France also attempted to emulate the ancient Olympic Games. The competition included several disciplines from the ancient Greek Olympics. The 1796 Games also marked the introduction of the metric system into sport. In 1834 and 1836, the Olympic games were held in Ramlösa, Sweden , and in Stockholm , in 1843, organised by Gustaf Johan Schartau and others. At most 25,000 spectators saw
984-524: A particular candidate city. After being narrowly defeated in their bid for the 2012 Games, Parisian mayor Bertrand Delanoë specifically accused the British prime minister Tony Blair and the London bid committee , headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe , of breaking the bid rules. He cited French president Jacques Chirac as a witness; Chirac gave guarded interviews concerning his involvement but
1107-447: A race. Due to waves created by the swimmers, it can be an advantage to swim closer to the center of the pool during a race. Due to this, World Aquatics regulations specify which lane each swimmer competes in based on previous times. In a ten lane pool this is as follows: Competitive swimming, from the club through to international level, tends to have an autumn and winter season competing in short course (25 metres or yards) pools and
1230-544: A reduced number of disciplines and events. Over 14,000 athletes competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics combined, in 40 different sports and 448 events. The Summer Olympics have grown from 241 participants representing 14 nations in 1896, to more than 11,300 competitors representing 206 nations in 2020 . The scope and scale of the Winter Olympics is smaller; for example, Beijing hosted 2,971 athletes from 91 nations in 2022 . Most of
1353-640: A rule that swimmers may not go farther than 15 metres underwater. In 2014, FINA rules that a single dolphin kick may be added to the breaststroke pullout before the first breaststroke kick. In the past decade, American competitive swimmers have made the most use of the underwater dolphin kick, notably Olympic and World medal winners Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte . World Championship pools must be 50 metres (160 ft) ( long course ) long and 25 metres (82 ft) wide, with ten lanes labelled zero to nine (or one to ten in some pools; zero and nine (or one and ten) are usually left empty in semi-finals and finals);
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#17327929796611476-478: A sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports , with varied distance events in butterfly , backstroke , breaststroke , freestyle , and individual medley . In addition to these individual events, four swimmers can take part in either a freestyle or medley relay . A medley relay consists of four swimmers who will each swim a different stroke, ordered as backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. Swimming each stroke requires
1599-420: A semifinal or final. The clerk is also responsible for enforcing rules of the swim meet if a swimmer chooses to not show up ("No show" - NS, or "Did Not Swim" - DNS) to their events. Timekeepers : Each timekeeper takes the time of the swimmers in the lane assigned to them. Unless a video backup system is used, it may be necessary to use the full complement of timekeepers even when automatic officiating equipment
1722-516: A set of specific techniques; in competition, there are distinct regulations concerning the acceptable form for each individual stroke. There are also regulations on what types of swimsuits , caps, jewelry and injury tape that are allowed at competitions. Although it is possible for competitive swimmers to incur several injuries from the sport, such as tendinitis in the shoulders or knees, there are also multiple health benefits. Evidence of recreational swimming in prehistoric times has been found, with
1845-560: A spring and summer season competing in long course (50-metre) pools and in open water. In international competition and in club swimming in Europe, the short course (25m) season lasts from September to December, and the long course (50m) season from January to August with open water in the summer months. These regulations are slowly being brought to competition in North America. As of right now, in club, school, and college swimming in
1968-483: A straight line for 200 steps and called this distance a " stadion " (Ancient Greek: στάδιον , Latin : stadium , "stage"), which later became a unit of distance . The most widely accepted inception date for the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC; this is based on inscriptions, found at Olympia , listing the winners of a footrace held every four years starting in 776 BC. For the first thirteen Olympics,
2091-512: A surplus in part by selling exclusive sponsorship rights to select companies. The IOC sought to gain control of these sponsorship rights. Samaranch helped to establish The Olympic Programme (TOP) in 1985, in order to create an Olympic brand. Membership in TOP was, and is, very exclusive and expensive. Fees cost US$ 50 million for a four-year membership. Members of TOP received exclusive global advertising rights for their product category, and use of
2214-674: A surplus of $ 40 million. This excess revenue was used to create the Utah Athletic Foundation (also known as the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation), which maintains and operates many of the surviving Olympic venues. It was reported in 1999 that the Nagano Olympic bid committee had spent approximately $ 14 million on entertaining the 62 IOC members and many of their associates. The precise figures are unknown since Nagano destroyed
2337-431: A trust to fund future Olympic Games. This trust was used to help finance the 1896 Games. George Averoff contributed generously for the refurbishment of the stadium in preparation for the Games. The Greek government also provided funding, which was expected to be recouped through the sale of tickets and from the sale of the first Olympic commemorative stamp set. Greek officials and the public were enthusiastic about
2460-521: A two-city race between Almaty , Kazakhstan and Beijing, China who hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics . The Guardian stated that the biggest threat to the future of the Olympics is few cities or countries want to host them. Bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics became a two-city race between Paris and Los Angeles, so the IOC took the unusual step of simultaneously awarding both the 2024 Games to Paris and
2583-566: A wealthy Greek-Romanian philanthropist, first wrote to King Otto of Greece , in 1856, offering to fund a permanent revival of the Olympic Games. Zappas sponsored the first Olympic Games in 1859, which was held in an Athens city square. Athletes participated from Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Zappas funded the restoration of the ancient Panathenaic Stadium so that it could host all future Olympic Games. The stadium hosted
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#17327929796612706-567: Is World Aquatics , which was known until 2023 as the Fédération Internationale de Natation ("International Swimming Federation"), or FINA. In open water swimming , where the events are swum in a body of open water (lake or sea), there are also 5 km, 10 km and 25 km events for men and women. However, only the 10 km event is included in the Olympic schedule, again for both men and women. Pool and open-water competitions are typically separate events, except at
2829-638: Is Polyester. The main difference between competition and regular swimwear is that competition swimwear is tighter and compresses the muscles of the swimmers. Regular swimwear is easier to put on and more comfortable for leisure activities. The most used practice swimwear for men includes briefs and jammers . Males generally swim barechested . There was controversy after the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 when many Olympic swimmers broke records an unprecedented number of times using revolutionary swimsuits that covered their entire legs. To highlight
2952-560: Is an event at the Summer Olympic Games , where male and female athletes compete in 16 of the recognized events each. Olympic events are held in a 50-meter pool, called a long course pool. There are forty officially recognized individual swimming events in the pool; however the International Olympic Committee only recognizes 32 of them. The international governing body for competitive swimming
3075-515: Is low – the 2015 FINA World Cup series has a total prize fund of $ 3,000 per race shared between the top three and the 2014–15 USA Grand Prix Series $ 1,800 compared to the 2015 World Aquatics Championships fund of $ 60,000 per race shared between the top eight. Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games ( Olympics ; French : Jeux olympiques, ) are the world's leading international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around
3198-437: Is no scholarly consensus as to when the Games officially ended, the most commonly held date is 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I decreed that all pagan cults and practices be eliminated. Another date commonly cited is 426 AD, when his successor, Theodosius II , ordered the destruction of all Greek temples. Various uses of the term "Olympic" to describe athletic events in the modern era have been documented since
3321-400: Is often referred to as "shave and taper": the swimmer shaves off all exposed hair for the sake of reducing drag and having a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the water. Additionally, the "shave and taper" method refers to the removal of the top layer of "dead skin", which exposes the newer and richer skin underneath. This also helps to "shave" off mere milliseconds on your time. Swimming
3444-418: Is swum in two distances: 200 and 400 meters. Some short course competitions also include the 100-yard or 100-meter IM – particularly, for younger or newer swimmers (typically under 14 years) involved in club swimming, or masters swimming (over 18). Since the 1990s, the most drastic change in swimming has been the addition of the underwater dolphin kick. This is used to maximize the speed at the start and after
3567-417: Is used. A chief timekeeper assigns the seating positions for all timekeepers and the lanes for which they are responsible. In most competitions there will be one or more timekeepers per lane. In international competitions where full automatic timing and video placing equipment is in use timekeepers may not be required. Inspectors of turns : One inspector of turns is assigned to one or more lanes at each end of
3690-670: The 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, the host city for the Olympics has also played host to the Paralympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement in 2001 which guaranteed that host cities would be contracted to manage both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The agreement came into effect at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, and at
3813-643: The 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Two years before the 2012 Games, the LOCOG chairman Lord Coe made the following statement about the Paralympics and Olympics in London: We want to change public attitudes towards disability, celebrate the excellence of Paralympic sport and to enshrine from the very outset that the two Games are an integrated whole. In 2010, the Olympic Games were complemented by
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3936-428: The 2028 Games to Los Angeles. Both of the bids were praised for high technical plans and innovative ways to use a record-breaking number of existing and temporary facilities. The Olympic Movement encompasses a large number of national and international sporting organisations and federations, recognised media partners, as well as athletes, officials, judges, and every other person and institution that agrees to abide by
4059-547: The COVID-19 restrictions . The Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and organising committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Games, and organises and funds the Games according to the Olympic Charter . The IOC also determines the Olympic programme, consisting of
4182-578: The Olympic Games and the World Aquatics Championships . Swimming creates a mix of levels, including: fully professional, semi-professional, and amateur. Fully professional swimmers will typically get a salary both from their national governing body and from outside sponsors, semi-professionals a small stipend from their national governing body, and amateurs receive no funding. Outside of these major championships prize money
4305-561: The Paris Exposition in 1900 and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904 failed to attract much participation or notice. Of the 650 athletes in the 1904 Olympics, 580 were American; the winner of the marathon was later disqualified upon discovery of a photograph of him riding in a car during the race. The Games rebounded with the 1906 Intercalated Games (so-called because they were
4428-595: The Stoke Mandeville Games , Guttmann's event became an annual sports festival. Over the next 12 years, Guttmann and others continued their efforts to use sports as an avenue to healing. In 1960, Guttmann brought 400 athletes to Rome to compete in the "Parallel Olympics", which ran in parallel with the Summer Olympics and came to be known as the first Paralympics . Since then, the Paralympics have been held in every Olympic year and, starting with
4551-704: The Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year Olympiad . Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games , held in Olympia, Greece from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement , which encompasses all entities and individuals involved in
4674-619: The new stroke in 1873, winning a local competition in England. His stroke is still regarded as the most powerful to use today. Captain Matthew Webb was the first man to swim the English Channel (between England and France), in 1875. Using the breaststroke technique, he swam the channel 21.26 miles (34.21 km) in 21 hours and 45 minutes. His feat was not replicated or surpassed for the next 36 years, until T.W. Burgess made
4797-603: The pankration , horse and chariot racing events. It has been widely written that during the Games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or truce. This idea is a modern myth because the Greeks never suspended their wars. The truce did allow those religious pilgrims who were traveling to Olympia to pass through warring territories unmolested because they were protected by Zeus. See also Finley and Pleket. The origin of
4920-507: The sports to be contested at the Games. There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag , torch , and opening and closing ceremonies . Over 14,000 athletes competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics combined, in 40 different sports and 448 events. The first-, second-, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals : gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. The Games have grown to
5043-511: The stadion footrace was the only event contested, and victory in that sprint was so valued that the next Olympiad was named after the winner, e.g. "the third year of the eighteenth Olympiad when Ladas of Argos won the stadion." The Ancient Games varied over time, but they came to feature running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration , and equestrian events. Tradition has it that Coroebus ,
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5166-629: The 17th century. The first such event was the Cotswold Games or "Cotswold Olimpick Games", an annual meeting near Chipping Campden , England, involving various sports. It was first organised by the lawyer Robert Dover between 1612 and 1642, with several later celebrations leading up to the present day. The British Olympic Association , in its bid for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, mentioned these games as "the first stirrings of Britain's Olympic beginnings". L'Olympiade de la République ,
5289-561: The 1984 Summer Games by using existing facilities and only two new that were paid for by corporate sponsors. The Organizing Committee led by Peter Ueberroth used some of the profits to endow the LA84 Foundation to promote youth sports in Southern California , educate coaches and maintain a sports library. The 1984 Summer Olympics are often considered until that date, the most financially successful modern Olympics and
5412-414: The 19th century. The goal of high level competitive swimming is to break personal or world records while beating competitors in any given event. Swimming in competition should create the least resistance in order to obtain maximum speed. However, some professional swimmers who do not hold a national or world ranking are considered the best in regard to their technical skills. Typically, an athlete goes through
5535-529: The American rights. In the following decades, the Olympics became one of the ideological fronts of the Cold War, and the International Olympic Committee wanted to take advantage of this heightened interest via the broadcast medium. The sale of broadcast rights enabled the IOC to increase the exposure of the Olympic Games, thereby generating more interest, which in turn enhanced the appeal of TV air time to
5658-556: The Art of Swimming and Joyful and Pleasant to Read ). Swimming emerged as a competitive recreational activity in the 1830s in England. In 1828, the first indoor swimming pool, St George's Baths was opened to the public. By 1837, the National Swimming Society was holding regular swimming competitions in six artificial swimming pools , built around London . The recreational activity grew in popularity and by 1880, when
5781-472: The IOC took control of sponsorship, the NOCs had responsibility for negotiating their own contracts for sponsorship and use of the Olympic symbols. The IOC originally resisted funding by corporate sponsors. It was not until the retirement of IOC President Avery Brundage , in 1972, that the IOC began to explore the potential of the television medium and the lucrative advertising markets available to them. Under
5904-424: The IOC's decision-making. His resistance to this revenue stream meant the IOC left organising committees to negotiate their own sponsorship contracts and use the Olympic symbols. When Brundage retired, the IOC had US$ 2 million in assets; eight years later the IOC coffers had swelled to US$ 45 million. This was primarily due to a shift in ideology toward expansion of the Games through corporate sponsorship and
6027-875: The IOC, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC), and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Although nothing strictly illegal had occurred, it was felt that the acceptance of the gifts was morally dubious. As a result of the investigation, ten members of the IOC were expelled and a further ten sanctioned. Stricter rules were adopted for future bids, and caps were introduced to define how much IOC members could accept from bid cities. Additionally, new term and age limits were put into place for IOC membership, and fifteen former Olympic athletes were added to
6150-519: The Olympic Games. He felt that the Olympics "is worthy of study because it is one of the biggest meetings in a global context and has many political, economic, and other problems associated with it". He began Olympika in 1992, the first peer-reviewed academic journal focused on the Olympic Games. The International Society of Olympic Historians was founded in 1991, which publishes the Journal of Olympic History . Some economists are sceptical about
6273-693: The Olympic Games. The Olympic Charter defines their structure and authority. The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in numerous changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities, the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18,
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#17327929796616396-648: The Olympic symbol, the interlocking rings , in their publications and advertisements. The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin were the first Games to be broadcast on television, though only to local audiences. The 1956 Winter Olympics in Italy were the first internationally televised Olympic Games, and the broadcasting rights for the following Winter Games in California were sold for the first time to specialised television broadcasting networks— CBS paid US$ 394,000 for
6519-576: The Olympics displaced more than two million people over two decades, often disproportionately affecting disadvantaged groups. The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi were the most expensive Olympic Games in history, costing in excess of US$ 50 billion. According to a report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development released at the time of the games, the cost would not boost Russia's national economy, but could attract business to Sochi and
6642-570: The Olympics in 1870 and 1875. Thirty thousand spectators attended that Games in 1870, though no official attendance records are available for the 1875 Games. In 1890, after attending the Olympian Games of the Wenlock Olympian Society , Baron Pierre de Coubertin , who aimed to promote international peace and friendship through sports, was inspired to found the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Coubertin built on
6765-524: The Olympics is shrouded in mystery and legend; one of the most popular myths identifies Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games. According to legend, it was Heracles who first called the Games "Olympic" and established the custom of holding them every four years. The myth continues that after Heracles completed his twelve labours , he built the Olympic Stadium as an honour to Zeus. Following its completion, he walked in
6888-565: The Summer Olympics has a positive effect on the philanthropic contributions of corporations headquartered in the host city, which seems to benefit the local nonprofit sector. This effect begins in the years leading up to the Games and might persist for several years afterwards, though not permanently. The Games have had significant negative effects on host communities; for example, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions reports that
7011-660: The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was reported to be JPY 1,423.8 billion (US$ 13 billion). This was achieved by balancing revenues and expenditures through various efforts to increase revenue and continuously review expenditures. The primary sources of revenue included the International Olympic Committee (IOC) contribution of JPY 86.8 billion (US$ 0.8 billion), TOP sponsorship of JPY 56.9 billion (US$ 0.5 billion), local sponsorship of JPY 376.1 billion (US$ 3.4 billion), an insurance payout of JPY 50 billion (US$ 0.5 billion) for
7134-532: The United States and Canada, the short course (25 yards) season is much longer, from September to March. The long-course season takes place in 50-meter pools and lasts from April to the end of August with open water in the summer months. In club swimming in Australasia , the short course (25m) season lasts from April to September, and the long course (50m) season from October to March with open water in
7257-614: The Western world. In 1908, the world swimming association, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), was formed. Women's swimming was introduced into the Olympics in 1912; the first international swim meet for women outside the Olympics was the 1922 Women's Olympiad . Butterfly was developed in the 1930s and was at first a variant of breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952. FINA renamed itself World Aquatics in December 2022. Competitive swimming became popular in
7380-570: The World Championships and the Olympics. In competitive swimming, four major styles have been established. These have been relatively stable over the last 30 to 40 years with minor improvements. They are: In competition, only one of these styles may be used except in the case of the individual medley, or IM, which consists of all four. In this latter event, swimmers swim equal distances of butterfly, then backstroke, breaststroke, and finally, freestyle. In Olympic competition, this event
7503-599: The Youth Games, which give athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 the chance to compete. The Youth Olympic Games were conceived by IOC president Jacques Rogge in 2001 and approved during the 119th Congress of the IOC. The first Summer Youth Games were held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, while the inaugural Winter Games were hosted in Innsbruck , Austria, two years later. These Games will be shorter than
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#17327929796617626-508: The acceptance of professional athletes participating at the Games. The growing importance of mass media has created the issue of corporate sponsorship and general commercialisation of the Games. World Wars I and II led to the cancellation of the 1916 , 1940 , and 1944 Olympics; large-scale boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics; and the 2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 because of
7749-527: The allegation was never fully explored. Turin 's bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics was also clouded by controversy; a prominent IOC member, Marc Hodler , closely connected to the rival bid of Sion , alleged bribery of IOC officials by members of the Turin Organising Committee. These accusations led to a wide-ranging investigation, and also served to sour many IOC members against Sion's bid which potentially helped Turin to capture
7872-471: The athletes and officials are housed in the Olympic Village for the duration of the Games. This accommodation centre is designed to be a self-contained home for all Olympic participants, and is furnished with cafeterias, health clinics, and locations for religious expression. The IOC has allowed the formation of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to represent individual nations. These do not meet
7995-655: The auspices of the IOC would take place in Athens in 1896. The IOC elected the Greek writer Demetrius Vikelas as its first president. The first Games held under the auspices of the IOC were hosted in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens in 1896. The Games brought together 14 nations and 241 athletes who competed in 43 events. Zappas and his cousin Konstantinos Zappas had left the Greek government
8118-399: The back for backstroke, etc.) If an official observes a swimmer breaking a rule concerning the stroke they are swimming, the official will report what they have seen to the referee. The referee can disqualify (or DQ) any swimmer for any violation of the rules that they personally observe or for any violation reported to them by other authorized officials. All disqualifications are subject to
8241-505: The budget announced in December 2020, and JPY 29.2 billion (US$ 0.3 billion) from the estimated budget in December 2021. This successful financial management resulted in a balanced budget for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Seeking a scholarly institution to independently research the Games, Bob Barney led efforts to establish the International Centre for Olympic Studies in 1989, endeavouring to write about sociocultural impacts of
8364-464: The commercialisation of the Olympic Games, even as these attitudes came to be seen as incongruous with the realities of modern sports. The advent of state-sponsored athletes from the Eastern Bloc countries further eroded the ideology of the pure amateur , as it placed self-financed amateurs of Western countries at a disadvantage. Brundage was accused of antisemitism and of racism in resisting
8487-419: The committee. Nevertheless, from sporting and business standpoints, the 2002 Olympics were one of the most successful Winter Games in history; records were set in both the broadcasting and marketing programs. Over 2 billion viewers watched more than 13 billion viewer-hours. The 2002 Games were also a financial success, raising more money with fewer sponsors than any prior Olympic Games, leaving SLOC with
8610-641: The crossing in 1911. Other European countries also established swimming federations; Germany in 1882, France in 1890 and Hungary in 1896. The first European amateur swimming competitions were in 1889 in Vienna . The world's first women's swimming championship was held in Scotland in 1892. Men's swimming became part of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens . In 1902, the Australian Richmond Cavill introduced freestyle to
8733-457: The decision and discretion of the referee. Those who are disqualified may choose to contest their disqualification. In age-group level swimming, however, this is rare. Appeals are reviewed by a panel of officials instead of the deck referee or stroke judges who may have made the initial disqualification decision. Brands such as Arena , Speedo , TYR , and Adidas are popular regular swimwear brands. The most durable material for regular swimming
8856-690: The earliest evidence dating to Stone Age paintings from around 10,000 years ago. Written references date from 2000 BC, with some of the earliest references to swimming including the Iliad , the Odyssey , the Bible , Beowulf , the Quran and others. In 1538, Nikolaus Wynmann, a Swiss–German professor of languages, wrote the earliest known complete book about swimming, Colymbetes, sive de arte natandi dialogus et festivus et iucundus lectu ( The Swimmer, or A Dialogue on
8979-400: The economic benefits of hosting the Olympic Games, emphasising that such "mega-events" often have large costs while yielding relatively few tangible benefits in the long run. Hosting (or even bidding for) the Olympics appears to increase the host country's exports, as the host or candidate country sends a signal about trade openness when bidding to host the Games. Research suggests that hosting
9102-511: The establishment of new NOCs to represent nations that qualify as "an independent State recognised by the international community". Consequently, the IOC did not allow the formation of NOCs for Sint Maarten and Curaçao when they gained the same constitutional status as Aruba in 2010, although the IOC had recognised the Aruban Olympic Committee in 1986. Since 2012, athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles have had
9225-662: The exclusion of South Africa . Under the Samaranch presidency, the office was accused of both nepotism and corruption. Samaranch's ties with the Franco regime in Spain were also a source of criticism. In 1998, it was reported that several IOC members had taken gifts from members of the Salt Lake City bid committee for the hosting of the 2002 Winter Olympics . There were soon four independent investigations underway: by
9348-486: The experience of hosting an Olympic Games. This feeling was shared by many of the athletes, who even demanded that Athens be the permanent Olympic host city. The IOC intended for subsequent Games to be rotated to various host cities around the world. The second Olympics was held in Paris. After the success of the 1896 Games, the Olympics entered a period of stagnation which threatened its survival. The Olympic Games held at
9471-552: The festival's second day. (Pelops was famous for his chariot race with King Oenomaus of Pisatis . ) The winners of the events were admired and immortalised in poems and statues. Although a wreath made from the sacred olive tree in the precinct of Zeus was the only official prize at the Olympic Games, winners' fame brought them economic wealth, too, in the form of subsidies from their hometowns and wealthy sponsors. See, e.g., Finley and Pleket, and Perrottet The Games were held every four years, and this period, known as an Olympiad ,
9594-440: The final answer to all questions relating to the actual conduct of anything regarding the meet, as well as the final settlement of which is not otherwise covered by the rules. The referee takes overall responsibility for running the meet and makes the final decisions as to who wins each race. Referees call swimmers to the blocks with short blasts of their whistles. This is the signal for the swimmers to stand next to their blocks. Then
9717-511: The financial records after the IOC requested that the entertainment expenditures should not be made public. In July 2000, when the Los Angeles Times reported on the tangled nature of how the IOC redistributes profits from sponsorships and broadcasting rights , Olympic historian Bob Barney stated that he had "yet to see matters of corruption in the IOC", but noted there were "matters of unaccountability". He later noted that when
9840-487: The first national governing body, the Amateur Swimming Association was formed, there were already over 300 regional clubs in operation across the country. In 1844 two Native American participants at a swimming competition in London introduced the front crawl to a European audience. Sir John Arthur Trudgen picked up the hand-over stroke from some South American natives and successfully debuted
9963-717: The first to be wholly amateur in nature and international in outlook, although only 'gentlemen amateurs' could compete. The programme of the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896 was almost identical to that of the Liverpool Olympics. In 1865 Hulley, Brookes and E.G. Ravenstein founded the National Olympian Association in Liverpool, a forerunner of the British Olympic Association . Its articles of foundation provided
10086-627: The five Continental Games ( Pan American , African , Asian , European , and Pacific ), and the World Games for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The IOC also endorses the Deaflympics and the Special Olympics . The IOC need to adapt to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements. The abuse of amateur rules prompted the IOC to shift away from pure amateurism , as envisioned by Coubertin, to
10209-742: The framework for the International Olympic Charter . In 1866, a national Olympic Games in Great Britain was organised at London's Crystal Palace . Greek interest in reviving the Olympic Games began with the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. It was first proposed by poet and newspaper editor Panagiotis Soutsos in his poem "Dialogue of the Dead", published in 1833. Evangelos Zappas ,
10332-597: The games. In 1850, an Olympian Class was started by William Penny Brookes at Much Wenlock , in Shropshire , England. In 1859, Brookes changed the name to the Wenlock Olympian Games . This annual sports festival continues to this day. The Wenlock Olympian Society was founded by Brookes on 15 November 1860. Between 1862 and 1867, Liverpool held an annual Grand Olympic Festival. Devised by John Hulley and Charles Pierre Melly , these games were
10455-637: The gold medal. The dolphin kick was rarely used in freestyle sprint races until 2008, when "technical" swimsuits were introduced to the sport at the European Short Course Championships in Rijeka, Croatia. Technical-suited Amaury Leveaux set world records of 44.94 seconds in the 100 m freestyle , 20.48 seconds in the 50 m freestyle and 22.18 in the 50 m butterfly, spending more than half of each race submerged, more than any of his competitors. Subsequently, FINA made
10578-500: The host city and country to showcase themselves to the world. The Olympic Games have become a significant global event, fostering international cooperation and cultural exchange. At the same time, hosting the Olympic Games can also bring significant economic benefits and challenges to the host city, affecting infrastructure, tourism and local communities. The Ancient Olympic Games ( Ancient Greek : τὰ Ὀλύμπια , ta Olympia ) were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at
10701-538: The host city nomination. The Olympic Games have been commercialised to various degrees since the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, when a number of companies paid for advertising, including Kodak . In 1908, Oxo , Odol [ de ] mouthwash, and Indian Foot Powder became official sponsors of the London Olympic Games . Coca-Cola first sponsored the Summer Olympics in 1928 , and has remained an Olympic sponsor ever since. Before
10824-484: The host country is an English or French speaking country: French is always spoken first, followed by an English translation, and then the dominant language of the host nation (when this is not English or French). The IOC has often been accused of being an intractable organisation, with several life members on the committee. The presidential terms of Avery Brundage and Juan Antonio Samaranch were especially controversial. Brundage fought strongly for amateurism and against
10947-541: The ideas and work of Brookes and Zappas with the aim of establishing internationally rotating Olympic Games that would occur every four years. He presented these ideas during the first Olympic Congress of the newly created International Olympic Committee. This meeting was held from 16 to 23 June 1894, at the University of Paris . On the last day of the Congress, it was decided that the first Olympic Games to come under
11070-429: The issue, in 2008, 70 world records were broken in one year, and 66 Olympic records were broken in one Olympic Games (there were races in Beijing where the first five finishers were swimming faster than the old world record). As of 1 January 2010, men are only allowed to wear suits from the waist to the knees. They are also only permitted to wear one piece of swimwear; they cannot wear briefs underneath jammers. This rule
11193-655: The knees), regular length (shoulders to hips), and bikini style (two-piece). As of 1 January 2010, in competition, women must wear suits that do not go past the shoulders or knees. Drag suits are used to increase water resistance against the swimmer to help them train for competitions. Other forms of drag wear include nylons, old suits, and T-shirts: articles that increase friction in the water to build strength during training, and thus increase speed once drag items are removed for competition. Some swimmers practice in basketball shorts over their bathing suit, wearing two bathing suits, or wearing an extra bathing suit with holes cut in
11316-784: The lanes must be at least 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) wide. They will be equipped with starting blocks at both ends of the pool and most will have Automatic Officiating Equipment, including touch pads to record times and sensors to ensure the legality of relay takeovers. The pool must have a minimum depth of two metres. Other pools which host events under World Aquatics regulations are required to meet some but not all of these requirements. Many of these pools have eight, or even six, instead of ten lanes and some will be 25 metres (82 ft) long, making them Short course . World records that are set in short course pools are kept separate from those set in long course pools because it may be an advantage or disadvantage to swimmers to have more or less turns in
11439-432: The leadership of Juan Antonio Samaranch , the Games began to shift toward international sponsors who sought to link their products to the Olympic brand. During the first half of the 20th century, the IOC ran on a small budget. As president of the IOC from 1952 to 1972, Avery Brundage rejected all attempts to link the Olympics with commercial interest. He believed that the lobby of corporate interests would unduly impact
11562-465: The material. Many swimmers also shave areas of exposed skin before end-of-season competitions to reduce friction in the water. The practice gained popularity after the 1956 Olympics, when Murray Rose and Jon Henricks came shaved and won gold medals for Australia. Freshly shaven skin is less resistant when in the water. In addition, a 1989 study demonstrated that shaving improves a swimmer's overall performance by reducing drag. The disadvantages of using
11685-763: The most expensive Winter Games were Sochi 2014 at US$ 51 billion. As of 2016, costs per athlete were, on average, US$ 599,000 for the Summer Games and $ 1.3 million for the Winter Games; for London 2012, the cost per athlete was $ 1.4 million, and the figure was $ 7.9 million for Sochi 2014. Where ambitious construction for the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal and the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow had burdened organisers with expenses greatly in excess of revenues, Los Angeles strictly controlled expenses for
11808-422: The official languages of the Olympic Movement. The other language used at each Olympic Games is the language of the host country (or languages, if a country has more than one official language apart from French or English). Every proclamation (such as the announcement of each country during the parade of nations in the opening ceremony) is spoken in these three (or more) languages, or the main two depending on whether
11931-538: The option to represent either the Netherlands or Aruba . The Oxford Olympics Study 2016 found that, since 1960, sports-related costs for the Summer Games were on average US$ 5.2 billion and for the Winter Games $ 3.1 billion. These figures do not include wider infrastructure costs like roads, urban rail, and airports, which often cost as much or more than the sports-related costs. The most expensive Summer Games were Beijing 2008 at US$ 40–44 billion, and
12054-440: The point that nearly every nation is now represented; colonies and overseas territories are often allowed to field their own teams. This growth has created numerous challenges and controversies , including boycotts , doping , match fixing , bribery, and terrorism. Every two years, the Olympics and its media exposure provide athletes with the chance to attain national and international fame. The Games also provide an opportunity for
12177-457: The pool. Each inspector of turns ensures that swimmers comply with the relevant rules for turning, as well as the relevant rules for start and finish of the race. Inspectors of turns shall report any violation on disqualification reports detailing the event, lane number, and the infringement delivered to the chief inspector of turns who will immediately convey the report to the referee. Judges of Stroke : Judges of stroke are located on each side of
12300-450: The pool. They follow the swimmers during their swim back and forth across the pool. They ensure that the rules related to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed, and observe the turns and the finishes to assist the inspectors of turns. Finish judges : Finish judges determine the order of finish and make sure the swimmers finish in accordance with the rules (two hands simultaneously for breaststroke and butterfly, on
12423-421: The postponement of the Games, and other sources including licensing. The expenditures included JPY 195.5 billion (US$ 1.8 billion) for venue-related costs and JPY 444.9 billion (US$ 4 billion) for service expenditures. The total cost also accounted for COVID-19 countermeasures amounting to JPY 35.3 billion (US$ 0.3 billion). Despite initial estimates, the total costs were reduced by JPY 220.2 billion (US$ 2 billion) from
12546-447: The referee will blow a long whistle that will tell the swimmers to step on the block. For backstroke events, the long whistle is the signal for the swimmers to jump into the water. The referee will then blow another long whistle, signalling the swimmers to grab the gutter or the provided block handle. Finally the referee will hand over the rest to the starter by directing their hand to the starter. Starter : The starter has full control of
12669-475: The rules of the Olympic Charter. As the umbrella organisation of the Olympic Movement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is responsible for selecting the host city, overseeing the planning of the Olympic Games, updating and approving the Olympic sports programme, and negotiating sponsorship and broadcasting rights. The Olympic Movement is made of three major elements: French and English are
12792-456: The sale of television rights. When Juan Antonio Samaranch was elected IOC president in 1980, his desire was to make the IOC financially independent. The 1984 Summer Olympics became a watershed moment in Olympic history. The Los Angeles-based organising committee, led by Peter Ueberroth , was able to generate a surplus of US$ 225 million, which was an unprecedented amount at that time. The organising committee had been able to create such
12915-421: The sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece . The date of the festival was determined according to a complicated formula whereby the midpoint of the festival would occur during the second full moon after the summer solstice —usually late August or early September. This "came after the annual harvest but before the picking of the olives." Heralds were sent from Elis to announce the dates. Competition at first
13038-449: The second Olympics to take place within the third Olympiad), which were held in Athens. These Games attracted a broad international field of participants and generated a great deal of public interest, marking the beginning of a rise in both the popularity and the size of the Olympics. The 1906 Games were officially recognised by the IOC at the time (although not any longer), and no Intercalated Games have been held since. The Winter Olympics
13161-583: The senior Games; the summer version will last twelve days, while the winter version will last nine days. The IOC allows 3,500 athletes and 875 officials to participate at the Summer Youth Games, and 970 athletes and 580 officials at the Winter Youth Games. The sports to be contested will coincide with those scheduled for the senior Games, however there will be variations on the sports including mixed NOC and mixed gender teams as well as
13284-511: The short course season if a swimmer wanted to compete in a stroke they had just learned, a 25-yard/meter race is available to them, opposed to the long course season when they would need to be able to swim at least 50 meters of that new stroke in order to compete. There are several types of officials, which are needed to manage the competition. Referee : The referee has full control and authority over all officials. The referee will enforce all rules and decisions of World Aquatics and shall have
13407-430: The southern Krasnodar region of Russia as a result of improved services. But by December 2014, eight months after the games The Guardian stated that Sochi "now feels like a ghost town", citing the spread-out nature of the stadiums and arenas and the still-unfinished infrastructure. At least four cities withdrew their bids for the 2022 Winter Olympics , citing the high costs or lack of local support, resulting in only
13530-420: The spotlight is on the athletes, it has "the power to eclipse impressions of scandal or corruption", with respect to the Olympic bid process. An August 2004, a BBC documentary, Panorama : Buying the Games , reported the results of an investigation into bribes allegedly used in the bidding process for the 2012 Summer Olympics . The documentary claimed that it was possible to bribe IOC members into voting for
13653-445: The start of a race with a loud noise (usually a beep or a horn) and flash from a strobe light. A starter sends the swimmers off the blocks and may call a false start if a swimmer leaves the block before the starter sends them. A starter may also choose to recall the race after the start for any reason or request the swimmers to "stand", "relax" or "step down" if they believe that (a) particular swimmer(s) has obtained an unfair advantage at
13776-492: The start. Clerk of course : The clerk of course (also called the "bullpen") assembles swimmers before each event, and organizes ("seeds") swimmers into heats based on their times. Heats are generally seeded from slowest to fastest, where swimmers with no previous time for an event are assumed to be the slowest. The clerk of the course is also responsible for recording and reporting swimmers who have chosen to "scratch" (not swim) their events after they have signed up or qualified to
13899-405: The strict requirements for political sovereignty that other international organisations demand. As a result, colonies and dependencies are permitted to compete at Olympic Games, examples being territories such as Puerto Rico , Bermuda , and Hong Kong , all of which compete as separate nations despite being legally a part of another country. The current version of the Olympic Charter allows for
14022-586: The summer months. Outside the United States, meters is the standard in both short and long course swimming, with the same distances swum in all events. In the American short course season, the 500-yard, 1000 yard, and 1650-yard freestyle events are swum as a yard is much shorter than a meter (100 yards equals 91.44 meters), while during the American long course season the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events are swum instead. Beginning each swimming season racing in short course allows for shorter distance races for novice swimmers. For example, in
14145-418: The swimmers from the time the referee turns the swimmers over to them until the race commences. A starter begins the race by saying, "Take your mark." At this point, the swimmers will get into stationary positions, sometimes known as "point zero", in which they would like to start their race. After all swimmers have assumed their stationary position, the starter will push a button on the starting system, signaling
14268-454: The turns in all styles. David Berkoff became the first to use it successfully; at the 1988 Olympics, he swam most of the 100 m backstroke race underwater and broke the world record in the distance during the preliminaries. Another swimmer to use the technique was Denis Pankratov at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he completed almost half of the 100 m butterfly underwater to win
14391-470: The world participate in a variety of competitions . The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition, with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, participating. By default, the Games generally substitute for any world championships during the year in which they take place (however, each class usually maintains its own records). The Olympics are staged every four years. Since 1994 , they have alternated between
14514-620: Was actually 11 days) was held in 1924 in Chamonix , France, in connection with the Paris Games held three months later; this event became the first Winter Olympic Games . Although, it was intended that the same country host both the Winter and Summer Games in a given year, this idea was quickly abandoned. The IOC mandated that the Winter Games be celebrated every four years in the same year as their summer counterpart. This tradition
14637-445: Was among only "legitimate sons of free-born Greek parents." However, after Macedonia, and then Rome, conquered Greece, the ten Olympic judges loosened the earlier standard and permitted anyone who spoke Greek to participate. Tens of thousands of Greeks would make the difficult journey to attend the festival. Some sources say as many as 40,000 attended. These Games featured mainly athletic but also combat sports such as wrestling and
14760-497: Was created to feature snow and ice sports that were logistically impossible to hold during the Summer Games. Figure skating (in 1908 and 1920) and ice hockey (in 1920) were featured as Olympic events at the Summer Olympics. The IOC desired to expand this list of sports to encompass other winter activities. At the 1921 Olympic Congress in Lausanne , it was decided to hold a winter version of the Olympic Games. A winter sports week (it
14883-516: Was enacted after the controversy in the Beijing Olympics and Rome World Championships. Women wear one-piece suits with thicker and higher backs for competition, though two-piece suits can also be worn during practice. Backs vary mainly in strap thickness and geometric design. Most common styles include: racerback, axel back, corset, diamondback, and butterfly-back/Fly-Back. There are also different style lengths: three-quarter length (reaches
15006-483: Was upheld through the 1992 Games in Albertville , France; after that, beginning with the 1994 Games , the Winter Olympics were held every four years, two years after each Summer Olympics. In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann , determined to promote the rehabilitation of soldiers after World War II , organised a multi-sport event between several hospitals to coincide with the 1948 London Olympics . Originally known as
15129-773: Was used by Greeks as one of their units of time measurement. The Games were part of a cycle known as the Panhellenic Games , which included the Pythian Games , the Nemean Games , and the Isthmian Games . The Olympic Games reached the height of their success in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, but then gradually declined in importance as the Romans gained power and influence in Greece. While there
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