Swimming’s journey as a sport began in the mid-19th century when the world’s first swimming organization was established in London in 1837. The competitive nature of swimming soon became apparent, leading to the first swimming championship being held in Australia in 1846. This event, which became an annual affair, foreshadowed the future success of competitive swimming.
Swimming has been an integral part of the Olympic schedule since the very first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It is one of only four disciplines that have been consistently included in every Summer Olympics – the others being athletics, artistic gymnastics, and fencing.
In the early years, Olympic swimming events were exclusively for men. Women made their debut at the 1912 Games in Stockholm, initially competing in just two events: the 100m freestyle and the 4×100m freestyle relay.
These early Games also featured some unique and experimental events. At the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens, the program included a 100m freestyle for sailors, limited to members of the Greek navy.
Until the 1908 London Games, Olympic swimming competitions took place in open water, exposing swimmers to the whims of weather and waves.
The 1896 Olympics saw swimming debut as a men’s sport, featuring competitions in the 100m and 1500m freestyle categories held in open water. Throughout swimming’s history, additional Olympic events were introduced, encompassing disciplines like breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and individual medley.
Initially, women were excluded from these early Olympic swimming competitions, but their participation began in 1912. Today, each Summer Olympic Games features a total of 32 swimming races, split evenly between men and women.
