General Swimming

Level 1 · History & Evolution

Open to everyone. Start here without completing another game.

Competitive swimming has been part of the modern Olympics since 1896. Early races took place in open water; pools, starting blocks and goggles later changed the racing experience.

Read the history source →

Watch · Swimming overview

World Aquatics includes this introduction in its swimming history feature. Use it as an overview, then follow the stroke-specific history above.

World Aquatics · video source · Open video if the player is unavailable

Look closer

What do you notice about the start, body position, arm action, kick and turn? Compare an older race with today’s technique when historic footage is available.