The English are considered the first modern society to develop swimming as a sport. By 1837, regular swimming competitions were being held in London's six artificial pools, organized by the National Swimming Society in England. As the sport grew in popularity many more pools were built, and when a new governing body, the Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain, was organized in 1880, it numbered more than 300 member clubs. In 1896, swimming became an Olympic sport for men with the 100 metres and 1500 metres freestyle competitions held in open water. Soon after, as swimming gained popularity, more freestyle events were added, followed by the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and finally, the individual medley.

 

Think it's a new sport? Think again! Swimming has been around for thousands of years...

 

  

2500 BC - First Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting swimming.
400 BC - Egyptians and Romans leisurely dived off cliffs.
36 BC - Japanese Emperor Suigiu encouraged swimming.
78 AD - Romans introduced swimming to Britain as a manly social event.
7th Century - Plagues unnerved swimming during the Dark Ages.
14th Century - Medieval knights to master swimming in armour.
15th Century - Church objected to naked bathing on moral grounds.
16th Century - Oxford and Cambridge University banned swimming after fatalities. - Swim author Digby claimed humans are better swimmers than fish.
17th Century - Japanese Emperor Go-Yoozei ruled that schoolchildren should swim. - Medicinal value of natural spa springs discovered in Britain.
18th Century - Sea swimming popularized by George III
19th Century - Germany and Sweden developed acrobatic diving.
1844 - A small race exposed Britain to red Indians 'crawl' style. Crawl soon dwarfed Breaststroke`s popularity.
1845 - First swimming championship debut in Sydney.
1875 - Captain Webb pioneered the English Channel crossing.
1885 - First diving competition, Germany.
1892 - First women's championship, Scotland.
1908 - The Federation Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) formed.
1924 - Johnny Weissmuller set 67 world records, then became 'Tarzan'. - Canadian sportswomen premiered sychronised swimming.
1950 - Butterfly born as a Breaststroke loophole. - Japanese meticulously suited techniques to their physique.
1986 - Sychronised swimming a Commonwealth Games event.

History of the Sport of Swimming

Archaeological and other evidence has given us the belief that swimming has been practiced as early as 2500 BC. In the earliest times, it took place in Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and Rome.

  • In Rome, swimming was part of the education of elementary age boys. They also built the first swimming pools, and in the first century BC, they built the first heated swimming pool. .
  • In Japan, swimming dates back to the first century BC. There were many swimming events that took place in Japan before it was opened to the Western world.
  • In the Pacific areas, swimming was taught to children by the time they could walk.
  • In ancient Greece, there were few races, but they are famous for having one of their best boxers swim as part of his training.
  • Many places in Europe explain their lack of swimming on their fear that it causes you to catch an infection that someone has who swam in the same water before you. They formed their first swimming organization in 1837, which mostly took place in London, which by then had 6 indoor pools all with diving boards. Later, in 1869, London founded the Amateur Swimming Association, which inspired many more swimming associations in Europe from 1882-1889.
  • Australia held a swim meet in 1864(and annually from then on), in which the first swimming championship happened during the 440-yard race.
  • In the United States, swimming didn't become a recognized sport until 1888. The Amateur Athletic Union(AAU) founded it. Then, in 1909, the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur(FINA) was founded.