History and Developments

Here are some development and history facts!

• Olympic swimming started from racing in the sea to racing in the pool.

The first four olympic competitions were held in open water.

1. Mediterranean Sea 1896
2. Seine River 1900
3. artificial lake 1904
4. Mediterranean Sea 1906

A 100 meter pool was built for the 1908 Olympics, which was placed in the center of the main stadium's track and field oval.

Paris 1900
http://www.toptenz.net/top-ten-surprising-sports-actually-olympics.php

• Electronic timing

The 1912 Olympics was held in Stockholm harbor, and marked the beginning of electronic timing.

• Swimmers wore full body suits until 1940; new improvements in design (water resistance)

1912 wool/cotton
http://www.qmul.ac.uk/olympics/playing_a_part/olympics_1912/

1940 nylon
http://www.fastcompany.com/1826866/how-swimsuits-evolved-wool-dresses-exotic-itsy-bitsy-bikinis

Modern swimsuits/kneeskins (left: TYR tracer B series, right: Speedo LZR)

• Better pools were made to make swimming easier; proper pool depth, elimination of currents, increased lane width, energy-absorbing lane lines and gutters.

pool measurements
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_(sport)

• Longer pools were created for the Olympics

50 meter pool (London)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sumofmarc/6963964647/

• Marked lane lines indicate 15 meters.

marks 15 meters
http://swimswam.com/competitor-lane-lines-official-lane-lines-usa-swimming-2016/

• Swimmers dove from pool walls to diving blocks.

1908 Olympics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_200_metre_breaststroke

Modern Olympic blocks
http://www.wired.com/2012/07/olympics-physics-swimming-starting-blocks/

• The tumble turn (flip turn) was used to swim back in the opposite direction.

Flip-turn invented by Tex Robertson
http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/10/training/coach-debate-do-triathletes-have-to-flip-turn_43283

Because of better training techniques and new developments, times have been dropping over the years.

In Ancient times, rock paintings of people swimming were found in the Cave of Swimmers nearby Wadi Sura, Egypt. More paintings were found later in the years.

In the early modern era, Leonardo da Vinci made drawings of lifebelts. In 1587, Everard Digby wrote a swimming novel, stating that humans could swim better than fish. In the 1600s to 1700s, more books were written that described the art of swimming, such as, The Art of Swimming by Melchisedech Thevenot and Kleines Lehrbuch der Schwimmkunst zum Selbstunterricht by Guts Muts.

Swimming became a competitive sport in the 1830s in England. In 1844, a swimming competition was held in London between two Native Americans and British competitors.  The British used the traditional breaststroke, while the Native Americans used the front crawl.  The front crawl was used by people in the Americas for years, but the British haven't discovered it yet. In 1908, the world swimming association Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) was created.  FINA administers international competition in aquatics.