Swimming

In 1896, the date of the first modern Olympics, the swimming race started when all the competitors were taken out to the icy waters of the Mediterranean sea in a boat. The winner was the first person to reach the shore. The distance was 1200 metres.

Olympic swimming has come a long way, to temperature-controlled 50-metre pools, wave-killing gutters, lane markers designed to reduce turbulence, and status as one of the Games' glamour events.

The competition:

Men and women can compete in 16 events each. The program involves four different strokes across a range of distances.

Butterfly Men	Backstroke Women	Breaststroke Men
Butterfly Women	Backstroke Men	Breastroke Women
	Freestyle	The start. Note the different costumes.

Freestyle races cover 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 metres. The 800m is for women only, the 1500m for men only. The butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke races each cover 100 and 200 metres. All four strokes are used in the 200m and 400m individual medley events.

The 4 x 100m freestyle, 4 x 200m freestyle and 4 x 100m medley relays complete the program.

There are heats and semifinals to find the fastest eight swimmers for the finals.

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