An aquatic Olympic sport in which competitors race across a marked pool using one of four recognised strokes.
Origin and rules
Competitive swimming organised in the United Kingdom in the early 19th century, with the National Swimming Society founded in London in 1837. Swimmers race over set distances using freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly.
How it plays
Pool events run from 50 metres to 1500 metres. Athletes start from blocks, execute racing turns at each wall, and finish by touching the pad. Times are recorded to one-hundredth of a second.
Competition
The World Aquatics Championships and the Olympic Games anchor the calendar. The United States, Australia, China, France, and the Netherlands consistently top the medal tables. Swimming has been a marquee event of the modern Olympics since 1896.
Find more sports by letter
Swimming starts with S and ends with G. Browse other sports along the same letter.
Sports that contain a letter from "Swimming":