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Swimming clubs emerged with the development of swimming as a competitive sport in the early 1800s in England. By 1880, when the first national governing body, the Amateur Swimming Association, was formed, there were already over 300 regional clubs in operation across England. [1]
The more notable swim clubs often have association with past Olympic athletes and future contenders, and vice versa.
Notable swim clubs around the world include:
Swim Ireland is the national governing body of swimming, diving, water polo, open water swimming and synchronised swimming in the island of Ireland. Competitors from Northern Ireland can opt to compete for British Swimming in international competitions, with the exception of the Commonwealth Games where they can compete for Northern Ireland.
Tracy Anne Stockwell, OAM,, née Tracy Anne Caulkins, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world champion, and former world record-holder in three events.
Milorad "Milo" Čavić is a Serbian former professional swimmer. He won a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 2008 Summer Olympics in a historic race with American swimmer Michael Phelps. Čavić also was World and European champion, as well as world record holder. He is one of four swimmers who broke 50 seconds in the 100m butterfly.
Donald Malcolm Talbot was an Australian Olympic swimming coach and sport administrator.
The history of water polo as a team sport began in mid 19th-century England and Scotland, where water sports were a feature of county fairs and festivals.
The Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC), formerly Sydney International Aquatic Centre (SIAC), is a swimming venue located in the Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Built in 1994, the SOPAC was a major venue for the 2000 Summer Olympics as it hosted the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, the medal events for water polo, and the swimming portion of the modern pentathlon competitions. The SOPAC has since been a host venue for numerous schools and swimming associations around New South Wales. Currently, it has most notably been the venue for the annual CAS Swimming Championships. It is also scheduled to be the site of the 2022 Duel in the Pool. The SOPAC also includes a swim shop at the entry of the arena, a play area, a health club and operates swimming classes for all ages.
Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body has approximately 100,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers. The body oversees the management and development of the sport from the national team at the elite level, the conduct of national and international events, through to grass roots participation. The organisation's vision is to become Australia's leading sport through increased participation, continual outstanding performance and commercial excellence.
Swim England is the national governing body for swimming, diving, water polo, open water swimming, and synchronised swimming in England. It forms part of British Swimming, a federation of the national governing bodies of England, Scotland, and Wales. These three are collectively known as the Home Country National Governing Bodies.
Isabelle Mary White was the first British diver to win a medal at the Olympic Games, and the first to win a European championship. She competed in four Olympics, including the 1912 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal in the women's plain high diving event, as well as the 1920 Summer Olympics, 1924 Summer Olympics, and 1928 Summer Olympics. She also won a gold medal at the European Aquatics Championships in 1927.
Douglas Albert Russell is an American former competitive swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three different events.
Kylie Jayne Palmer, OAM, is an Australian distance freestyle swimmer.
Jeffrey James Float is a former American competitive swimmer, world record holder, world champion and Olympic gold medalist. He qualified for the 1980 USA Olympic Swimming Team in three individual events, but could not participate when the United States boycotted the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympic Games. Four years later, he competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. As the peer-elected team captain, Jeff earned a gold medal in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and finished fourth in the individual 200-meter freestyle event. In 2016 this 4x200-meter freestyle relay was designated the third greatest of all time.
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water. Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with varied distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. In addition to these individual events, four swimmers can take part in either a freestyle or medley relay. A medley relay consists of four swimmers who will each swim a different stroke, ordered as backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.
Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1908, the world swimming association, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), was formed.
Randy Reese is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams of the University of Florida to four national championships, and coaching the winners of eighteen Olympic gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals. Reese is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Out To Swim is a British aquatics sport club offering swimming, water polo and artistic swimming club for predominantly LGBTQ+ people and allied members. The club was founded by AGM when the name was agreed in March 1992. In 2006 "Out to swim Brighton" was formed in Brighton and Hove and 2018 "Out To Swim West" in Bristol.
Richard Eliason is an Australian swimmer. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in swimming. He has an intellectual disability and was among the first intellectually disabled athletes to compete in the Paralympics after the 2000 Summer Paralympics intellectual disability controversy. While he did not receive a medal at the Games, he placed 5th in the final. He is a recipient of the Service to Australian Swim Team award.
The Singapore Swimming Association is the national governing body for competitive swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, water polo and open water swimming in Singapore. The SSA is also charged with selecting the Singapore Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent Singapore, as well as the overall organisation and operation of the sport within the country.
Izaac Stubblety-Cook is an Australian swimmer. He is the world record holder in the long course 200 metre breaststroke.