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58-444: 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 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

116-435: A relay race members of a team take turns in racing parts of a circuit or performing a certain racing form. Orienteering races add an additional task of using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain. A race can also involve any other type of goal like eating . A common speed eating challenge is a hot dog eating race, where contestants try to eat more hot dogs than

174-449: 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

232-473: 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 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

290-571: 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 is World Aquatics , which was known until 2023 as the Fédération Internationale de Natation ("International Swimming Federation"), or FINA. In open water swimming , where

348-424: A major part of points classifications in road events, where cycling sprinters specialise in reaching an intermediate point first, thus gaining extra points and resulting prizes. Sprint finish tactics are also used in speedskating , cross-country skiing , long-distance swimming , horse racing and other animal racing sports. The finishes of races which are outright sprinting events in themselves, such as

406-445: 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

464-420: 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

522-511: A significant period of tapering is essential for optimal performance. The tapering period frequently lasts as much as a week or more. This tapering means gradually reducing the exercise over a short period of time then stopping completely when leading up to competitions. As a general rule of thumb , longer endurance events are generally preceded by longer tapering periods, with the curious exception of particularly long endurance competitions, such as ultramarathons and multiday races . In swimming

580-546: 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);

638-560: 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

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696-638: 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

754-417: 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. Racing A race may be run continuously to finish or may be made up of several segments called heats, stages or legs. A heat is usually run over

812-426: 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 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

870-417: 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

928-483: The 100 metres track race, are not normally referred to as sprint finishes, as all competitors are already sprinting by default (thus it is not a racing tactic). Tapering (sports) In sports , tapering is the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition. Tapering is customary both in endurance sports, such as long-distance running and swimming , and strength sports, such as weightlifting and sprinting . For many athletes ,

986-663: The Dakar Rally or the Athens Marathon . Running a distance is the most basic form of racing, but races may also be done by climbing , swimming , walking , or other types of human locomotion . Races may be conducted with animals such as camels , dogs , horses , pigeons , pigs , snails , or turtles . They also may be done in vehicles such as aircraft , bicycles , boats , cars , or motorcycles ; or with another means of transport such as skates , skateboards , skis , sleds , snowboards , or wheelchair . In

1044-674: 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 the Art of Swimming and Joyful and Pleasant to Read ). Swimming emerged as a competitive recreational activity in

1102-578: 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

1160-411: 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 the turns in all styles. David Berkoff became the first to use it successfully; at

1218-671: 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 the first national governing body, the Amateur Swimming Association was formed, there were already over 300 regional clubs in operation across

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1276-505: 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 the gold medal. The dolphin kick was rarely used in freestyle sprint races until 2008, when "technical" swimsuits were introduced to

1334-567: 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 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

1392-532: 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

1450-399: 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

1508-526: 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 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

1566-457: 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

1624-401: The end of a race is also known as their finishing kick . Multisport races , such as the triathlon , often have running as the final section and sprint finish tactics are applied as they are in running-only events. In cycling, sprint finishes are an integral part of the sport and are used in both track cycling and road cycling . Cycling sprints are often highly tactical, particularly on

1682-587: 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 the World Championships and the Olympics. In competitive swimming, four major styles have been established. These have been relatively stable over

1740-440: 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

1798-408: The final stages of a race. This tactic is mostly associated with long-distance forms of running and cycling , which often feature large groups of competitors racing at a slower pace for much of the race – this slower aerobic racing allows for the subsequent anaerobic activity required for sprinting. The tactic relies upon keeping greater energy reserves than your opponent until the last part of

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1856-404: The final three weeks of any marathon-training program are the most critical stage of training; a review of fifty studies on tapering indicates that optimal levels of muscle glycogen , enzymes , antioxidants , and hormones , which are significantly depleted by intense endurance training, are achieved during a taper. Tapering may also be done for submaximal exercises. Often, a workout simulating

1914-483: 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

1972-655: 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

2030-783: 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

2088-441: 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 is swum in two distances: 200 and 400 meters. Some short course competitions also include

2146-400: 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 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

2204-463: 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

2262-432: The opposite is true; distance swimmers will often taper for only a week or less, while strength athletes taper for up to 3 weeks. Typically, tapering for relatively short endurance events takes as little as a week or less, but tapering for an event like the marathon takes at least two or three weeks. Bob Cooper , a veteran marathoner and contributing editor for Runner's World , points to medical studies as evidence that

2320-551: The other racers. Racing board games and racing video games are also competitions of speed. Racing can also be done in more humoristic and entertaining ways such as the Sausage Race , the Red Bull Trolley Grand Prix and wok racing . Racing can be entertained from around the world. A sprint finish is a racing tactic used in many forms of racing where a competitor accelerates towards top speed in

2378-457: 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

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2436-450: 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

2494-430: The race in order to be able to reach the finish point first. It is the opposing tactic to keeping a steady optimal pace throughout a race to maximise your energy efficiency (see running economy ). In track and field , distances from 1500 metres upwards often feature sprint finishes. They can also be found in cross country and road running events, even up to the marathon distance. A runner's ability to sprint at

2552-447: 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

2610-512: The same course at different times. A stage is a shorter section of a much longer course or a time trial . Early records of races are evident on pottery from ancient Greece , which depicted running men vying for first place. A chariot race is described in Homer 's Iliad . The word race comes from a Norse word. This Norse word arrived in France during the invading of Normandy and gave

2668-509: 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

2726-592: 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 a rule that swimmers may not go farther than 15 metres underwater. In 2014, FINA rules that

2784-445: 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

2842-492: 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

2900-642: 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

2958-412: 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 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

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3016-418: 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

3074-415: The track, with cyclists occasionally coming to a near halt at points before reaching a high speed finish. The longer track races such as scratch races often feature sprint finishes, as maintaining a steady pace within the peloton allows opponents to conserve energy through drafting . Road races are similar in this respect, in both short criterium races and long-distance races. Sprint tactics also form

3132-477: 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 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

3190-535: The word raz which means "swift water" in Brittany , as in a mill race ; it can be found in " Pointe du Raz " (the most western point of France, in Brittany), and " raz-de-marée " ( tsunami ). The word race to mean a "contest of speed" was first recorded in the 1510s. A race and its name are often associated with the place of origin, the means of transport and the distance of the race. As a couple of examples, see

3248-516: 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

3306-657: 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 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

3364-670: 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 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

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