Spotlight Sport - Swimming

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Gateway to the Summer Games - Spotlight Sports

Swimming
The first modern Olympic swimming contests were held outdoor in open water. The weather had turned unusually cold at the Bay of Zea at Phaleron, near Piraeus, and on the morning of the competition the temperature in the water had dropped to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Centigrade). Unlike early competitions, which were held in lakes, rivers and the open sea, all events are now held in Olympic-size pools, where the water temperature is kept between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.


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The Events
The events are categorized by the type of stroke the swimmer uses.
"Freestyle" is where the competitor may swim any stroke he or she prefers, usually the Australian crawl, where the arms alternately come out of the water and the legs flutter kick.
"Backstroke" is like the crawl stroke, but with the swimmer's back turned to the water.
"Breaststroke" is where all leg and arm movements must be made simultaneously. The hands must be pushed forward together and from the breast, and must be brought back on or under the surface of the water. Only the backward-and-out frog-leg kick is allowed.
"Butterfly" was originally a variation of the breaststroke. In 1952, this new technique was officially recognized as the fourth Olympic swimming style.
"Individual Medley" comprises all four of the above competitive strokes in one race; the order of the strokes is butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
"Medley Relay" is an event swum by a team of four, with each member swimming one leg (one portion or quarter) of the relay.
"Freestyle Relay" is where each swimmer chooses the stroke he or she will use, with each leg of the race swum by a different team member.

News, History, and Fast Facts

For complete information about playing, coaching, and watching swimming, visit the Copernicus Education Gateway's School Athletics Center: Swimming page.
Stay afloat with the latest swimming news on CBS Sportline's Olympics 2000
site or dive into the Olympic history of the event.
The USOC has compiled a comprehensive site that explores swimming history, rules, and news.
The Sydney 2000 site is the official site of the Olympics and a super source for swimming facts and figures.
The Sydney 2000 Fans site is a great place for you to get acquainted with the basic rules of the event.
Take a look at the official Web site of U.S.A. Swimming. Kids! Visit the organization's Kids Page.
For more than swimming history and vocabulary, check out All About Swimming, where you'll find hints about water safety, swimming supplies, and skills and drills.

All About Athletes

Check out various Olympic swimming personalities on NBCOlympics.com or on FINA.com and get the lowdown on Olympic swimming at large on NBCOlympics.com.
Find out about all of the men's and women's gold medal winners.

More Sports

Baseball	Basketball	Boxing	Canoeing & Kayaking
Cycling	Diving	Equestrian	Fencing
Gymnastics	Rowing	Soccer	Tennis
Track & Field	Volleyball	Water Polo	Wrestling

General Sports Links
Olympians will compete in dozens of sports this summer. Even though Gateway to the Summer Games can't feature them all, you can learn about each and every one by visiting the sites listed below.

Griffin Publishing Group's Official Olympic Sports page
For information straight from the source, click on a sport to connect to its organization's official Web site.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation News
This site provides excellent information about Olympic sports and their rules. It also sizes up the best international competitors.
CBS Sportsline's Olympics 2000
Get top news stories and in-depth features about every sport.
CCN/SI
In addition to news on every sport, this site contains athlete diaries.
NBCOlympics.com
Select a sport to study or hear firsthand from an athlete who plays it.
Sydney 2000
The official site of the Sydney Olympics covers the events in detail.
Sydney 2000 Kids' Guide to Olympic Sports
Visit the Sportzone for sports-related information written especially for young students.
USOC
The United States Olympic Committee site includes the rules and history of events as well as athlete bios, diaries, and chats.
Sydney 2000 Fans
This unofficial site provides basic description of events and useful links to more information.

Portions of the above text were excerpted from Share the Olympic Dream--Volume II.
(c) 1995 by Griffin Publishing Group/United States Olympic Committee.

For information on purchasing Griffin materials, please visit the Griffin Publishing Group Web site at http://www.griffinpublishing.com.