Aquatics at the Summer Olympics

History

The sport of aquatics has been a part of the Summer Olympic Games since the inception of the modern Olympic movement in 1896. The first aquatics events were swimming races, which were held in open water. Over the years, the aquatics program has expanded to include diving, water polo, and synchronized swimming, and more recently, marathon swimming.

Swimming

Swimming has been a part of every Summer Olympics since the beginning. The first swimming events were held in open water, but since 1908, all swimming events have been held in swimming pools. The swimming program has grown over the years, with the addition of new events and distances. Today, there are 34 swimming events in the Olympic program, including both individual and relay races for men and women in a variety of strokes and distances.

Diving

Diving was introduced to the Olympic program at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, USA. The first diving events were the men's platform and plunge for distance. Women's diving events were added to the program in 1912. Today, there are eight diving events in the Olympic program, including both individual and synchronized events for men and women from both the 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform.

Water Polo

Water polo was introduced to the Olympic program at the 1900 Games in Paris, making it one of the oldest team sports in the Olympic program. The first water polo tournament was only open to men, but a women's tournament was added in 2000. Today, there are two water polo tournaments in the Olympic program, one for men and one for women.

Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized swimming was introduced to the Olympic program as a demonstration sport at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland. It was officially added to the program in 1984. Today, there are two synchronized swimming events in the Olympic program, a duet event and a team event, both of which are only open to women.

Marathon Swimming

Marathon swimming was introduced to the Olympic program at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China. The marathon swimming event is a 10-kilometer open water race for both men and women.