Swimming at the Summer Olympics explained

Size:150
Code:SWM
OWS (Marathon Swimming)
Sport:swimming
Menevents:18
Womenevents:18
Mixedevents:1

Swimming has been a sport at every modern Summer Olympics. It has been open to women since 1912. At the Olympics, swimming has the second-highest number of medal-contested events (after athletics).

Summary

GamesYear EventsBest Nation
14 (1)
27 (1)
39 (1)
46 (2)
59 (2)
6
710 (1)
811 (2)
911 (3)
1011 (1)
1111 (2)
12
13
1411 (4)
1511 (5)
1613 (1)
1715 (6)
GamesYear EventsBest Nation
1818 (7)
1929 (8)
2029 (9)
2126 (10)
2226 (1)
2329 (11)
2431 (2)
2531 (12)
2632 (13)
2732 (14)
2832 (15)
2934 (16)
3034 (17)
3134 (18)
3237 (19)
3337 (20)

Long-course swimming

Men's events

Current programme
Event Years
50 metres freestyleX[1] XXXXXXXXXX11
100 metres freestyleXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX29
200 metres freestyle XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX17
400 metres freestyleXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX28
800 metre freestyleXXX3
1500 metre freestyleXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX28
100 metre backstrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX27
200 metre backstrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX17
100 metre breaststrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX14
200 metre breaststrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX27
100 metre butterflyXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX15
200 metre butterflyXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX18
200 metre individual medleyXXXXXXXXXXXXX13
400 metre individual medleyXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX16
4 × 100 metre freestyle relayXXXXXXXXXXXXXX14
4 × 200 metre freestyle relayXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX27
4 × 100 metre medley relayXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX17
Events1 2 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 8 10 15 15 13 13 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 17 17

Past events

Only at the 1896 Summer Olympics

Only at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Women's events

Current programme
Event Years
50 metre freestyleXXXXXXXXXX10
100 metre freestyleXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX26
200 metre freestyle XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX15
400 metre freestyleX[2] XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX25
800 metre freestyleXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX15
1500 metre freestyleXX2
100 metre backstrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX24
200 metre backstrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX15
100 metre breaststrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX15
200 metre breaststrokeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX24
100 metre butterflyXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX18
200 metre butterflyXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX15
200 metre individual medleyXXXXXXXXXXXXX13
400 metre individual medleyXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX16
4 × 100 metre freestyle relayXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX26
4 × 200 metre freestyle relayXXXXXXXX8
4 × 100 metre medley relayXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX17
Events23555555678141413131415151616161616161717

Mixed events

Event !! scope="col"
96 !Years
4 × 100 metre medley relayXX2
Events1 1

Medal table

Last updated after the 2020 Summer Olympics[3]

Marathon swimming

Events

Event Years
Men's 10 kmXXXXX5
Women's 10 kmXXXXX5
Events2 2 2 2 2

Medal table

Last updated after the 2024 Summer Olympics[4]

Overall medal table

Last updated after the 2024 Summer Olympics

Nations

Nations4 12 4 14 17 19 23 28 20 29 34 48 33 45 42 51 52 51 41 67 77 92 117 150 152 162 166 169 182 194
Swimmers19 76 32 100 120 116 118 182 128 248 249 319 235 380 405 468 532 471 333 494 633 641 762 954 937 1026 950 950 1000 852

Olympic records

The International Olympic Committee recognize the best performances in all 35 current swimming events at the Games as Olympic records.

Notable changes to the sport

Times have consistently dropped over the years due to better training techniques and new developments within the sport.

In the first four Olympics, competitions were not held in pools, but rather in open water (1896, the Mediterranean Sea; 1900, the Seine; 1904, an artificial lake; 1906, the Mediterranean). The 1904 Olympics' races were the only ones ever measured in yards, instead of the usual metres. A 100-metre pool was built for the 1908 Olympics and was located in the centre of the main stadium's track and field oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm harbor, marked the beginning of electrical timing.

Male swimmers wore full body swimsuits up until the 1940s, which caused more drag in the water than their modern swim-wear counterparts. Also, over the years, pool designs have lessened the drag. Some design considerations allow for the reduction of swimming resistance making the pool faster. Namely, proper pool depth, elimination of waves, elimination of currents, increased lane width, energy absorbing racing lane lines and gutters, and the use of other innovative hydraulic, acoustic, illumination, and swimwear designs.

The 1924 Olympics were the first to use the standard 50-metre pool with marked lanes (a standard that remains to this day). In the freestyle, swimmers originally dove from the pool walls, but diving blocks were first incorporated at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The flip-turn was developed by the 1950s. Swimming goggles were first allowed in 1976.

The butterfly stroke events were not held until 1956. Previous rules permitted the butterfly stroke in breaststroke races. After 1956, when these rules were changed, butterfly became its own stroke entirely.

The 800m event was added to the women’s programme in 1968; whilst longer, this event was not as far as the men’s 1,500m event. This discrepancy was evened out in 2020: that year, the 1,500 metres was included in the women’s programme for the first time and the 800 metres freestyle was added to the men’s programme.

Both men and women were granted the 200 metres freestyle race in 1968, giving swimmers an intermediate distance race between 100 metres and 400 metres.

The women's 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay race was added in 1996—a men's relay race at that distance had been held since 1912; interestingly, the winning time for the women's 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay in 1996 was more than two minutes faster than the men's 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay of 1912. At six Games, the men had two freestyle relay races, while the women had one. Starting with 1996, both genders have two.

The medley relay races (4 × 100 metres) were not held for men or for women until 1960, but they have continued in every Games since then.

Starting in 2008, both men and women compete in 10 km open water marathon swim events.

The mixed 4 × 100 metres medley relay (2 women and 2 men) was added to the programme in the 2020 Olympic Games.

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Distances at the 1904 Olympics were measured in yards rather than metres. The 50 yard freestyle was 45.7 metres and the 100 yard freestyle and backstroke races were 91.4 metres. The 220, 440, and 880 yard freestyle races were 201, 402, and 805 metres, respectively. Instead of a 1500 metre race, there was a 1 mile race which made for 1609 metres. The 440 yard breaststroke, like the freestyle, was 402 metres. The relay, 4 × 50 yards, was 4 × 45.7 metres.
  2. In 1920, the women's event was 300 metres.
  3. Web site: Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries . olympanalyt.com . 2022-01-31.
  4. Web site: Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries . olympanalyt.com . 2022-01-31.

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