Swimming at the Summer Olympics

Swimming at the Summer Olympics
Swimming at the Summer Olympics
IOC Code	SWM; OWS (Marathon Swimming)
Governing body	World Aquatics
Events	37 (men: 18; women: 18; mixed: 1)
Summer Olympics
	1896 ; 1900 ; 1904 ; 1908 ; 1912 ; 1920 ; 1924 ; 1928 ; 1932 ; 1936 ; 1948 ; 1952 ; 1956 ; 1960 ; 1964 ; 1968 ; 1972 ; 1976 ; 1980 ; 1984 ; 1988 ; 1992 ; 1996 ; 2000 ; 2004 ; 2008 ; 2012 ; 2016 ; 2020 ; 2024 ; 2028 ;
	Medalists men ; women ; ; Records ;

Last updated December 18, 2024

Swimming has been a sport at every modern Summer Olympics. It has been open to women since 1912. At the Olympics, swimming has the second-highest number of medal-contested events after athletics.

Summary

Games	Year	Events	Best nation
1	1896	4	Hungary (1)
2	1900	7	Great Britain (1)
3	1904	9	Germany (1)
4	1908	6	Great Britain (2)
5	1912	9	Germany (2)
6
7	1920	10	United States (1)
8	1924	11	United States (2)
9	1928	11	United States (3)
10	1932	11	Japan (1)
11	1936	11	Japan (2)
12
13
14	1948	11	United States (4)
15	1952	11	United States (5)
16	1956	13	Australia (1)
17	1960	15	United States (6)
18	1964	18	United States (7)
19	1968	29	United States (8)
20	1972	29	United States (9)
21	1976	26	United States (10)
22	1980	26	East Germany (1)
23	1984	29	United States (11)
24	1988	31	East Germany (2)
25	1992	31	United States (12)
26	1996	32	United States (13)
27	2000	32	United States (14)
28	2004	32	United States (15)
29	2008	34	United States (16)
30	2012	34	United States (17)
31	2016	34	United States (18)
32	2020	37	United States (19)
33	2024	37	United States (20)

Long-course swimming

Men's events

Current programme
Event	96	1900	04	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	2000	04	08	12	16	20	24	Years
50 metres freestyle			X ^[1]	Not yet reintroduced																	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	11
100 metres freestyle	X		X ^[1]	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	29
200 metres freestyle ( details )		X	X ^[1]	Not yet reintroduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	17
400 metres freestyle			X ^[1]	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	28
800 metre freestyle			X ^[1]	Not yet reintroduced																									X	X	3
1500 metre freestyle			X ^[1]	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	28
100 metre backstroke			X ^[1]	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	27
200 metre backstroke		X	Not yet reintroduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	17
100 metre breaststroke	Not yet introduced															X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	14
200 metre breaststroke				X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	27
100 metre butterfly	Not yet introduced															X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	15
200 metre butterfly	Not yet introduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	18
200 metre individual medley	Not yet introduced															X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	13
400 metre individual medley	Not yet introduced														X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	16
4 × 100 metre freestyle relay	Not yet introduced														X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	14
4 × 200 metre freestyle relay				X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	27
4 × 100 metre medley relay	Not yet introduced													X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	17
Events	1	2	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	8	10	15	15	13	13	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	17	17

Past events

400 metre breaststroke: 1904,^[1] 1912, 1920
4 × 50 yard freestyle relay:^[1] 1904

Only at the 1896 Summer Olympics

Only at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Women's events

Current programme
Event	96	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	2000	04	08	12	16	20	24	Years
50 metre freestyle	Not yet introduced																	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	10
100 metre freestyle	Not yet introduced	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	26
200 metre freestyle ( details )	Not yet introduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	15
400 metre freestyle	Not yet introduced		X ^[2]	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	25
800 metre freestyle	Not yet introduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	15
1500 metre freestyle	Not yet introduced																									X	X	2
100 metre backstroke	Not yet introduced			X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	24
200 metre backstroke	Not yet introduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	15
100 metre breaststroke	Not yet introduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	15
200 metre breaststroke	Not yet introduced			X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	24
100 metre butterfly	Not yet introduced									X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	18
200 metre butterfly	Not yet introduced												X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	15
200 metre individual medley	Not yet introduced												X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	13
400 metre individual medley	Not yet introduced											X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	16
4 × 100 metre freestyle relay	Not yet introduced	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	26
4 × 200 metre freestyle relay	Not yet introduced																			X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	8
4 × 100 metre medley relay	Not yet introduced										X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	17
Events		2	3	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	7	8	14	14	13	13	14	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	17	17

Mixed events

Current programme
Event	96	1900	04	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	2000	04	08	12	16	20	24	Years
4 × 100 metre medley relay	Not yet introduced																												X	X	2
Events																													1	1

Marathon swimming

Events

Event	08	12	16	20	24	Years
Men's 10 km	X	X	X	X	X	5
Women's 10 km	X	X	X	X	X	5
Events	2	2	2	2	2

Medal table

Updated after the 2024 Summer Olympics^[3]^[4]


Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	265	192	151	608
2	Australia	76	79	77	232
3	East Germany	38	32	22	92
4	Hungary	32	28	21	81
5	Japan	24	28	32	84
6	Netherlands	23	21	21	65
7	Great Britain	21	35	31	87
8	China	18	24	19	61
9	Germany	15	20	32	67
10	Soviet Union	12	21	26	59
11	Canada	12	20	31	63
12	France	12	17	22	51
13	Sweden	11	16	14	41
14	South Africa	8	8	6	22
15	Italy	7	8	20	35
16	Unified Team	6	3	1	10
17	Russia	5	9	9	23
18	Ukraine	4	3	2	9
19	Romania	4	2	5	11
20	Ireland	4	0	3	7
21	West Germany	3	5	14	22
22	Denmark	3	5	7	15
23	Tunisia	3	0	1	4
24	Brazil	2	4	11	17
25	Zimbabwe	2	4	1	7
26	Australasia	2	3	3	8
27	Spain	2	2	4	8
28	ROC (ROC)	2	2	1	5
29	New Zealand	2	1	3	6
30	Austria	1	6	5	12
31	United Team of Germany	1	5	6	12
32	Greece	1	5	2	8
33	Poland	1	3	2	6
34	South Korea	1	3	1	5
35	Belgium	1	2	2	5
36	Costa Rica	1	1	2	4
37	Argentina	1	1	1	3
37	Bulgaria	1	1	1	3
39	Yugoslavia	1	1	0	2
40	Mexico	1	0	1	2
40	Suriname	1	0	1	2
42	Kazakhstan	1	0	0	1
	Lithuania	1	0	0	1
	Singapore	1	0	0	1
45	Hong Kong	0	2	2	4
46	Belarus	0	2	1	3
47	Slovakia	0	2	0	2
48	Finland	0	1	4	5
49	Cuba	0	1	1	2
49	Norway	0	1	1	2
51	Croatia	0	1	0	1
	Serbia	0	1	0	1
	Slovenia	0	1	0	1
54	Switzerland	0	0	4	4
55	Philippines	0	0	2	2
56	Trinidad and Tobago	0	0	1	1
56	Venezuela	0	0	1	1
Totals (57 entries)		633	632	631	1,896

Nations

Nation	96	00	04	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	24	Years
Afghanistan (AFG)																													1	1	2
Albania (ALB)																						1			2	2	2	2	2	2	7
Algeria (ALG)																			5			1	1	3	6	5	1	1	3	2	10
American Samoa (ASA)																										2	2		2	1	4
Andorra (AND)																							1	2	2	1	2	2			6
Angola (ANG)																			5		8	3	1	2	1	2	2	2	2	2	11
Antigua and Barbuda (ANT)																									2	1	2	2	2	2	6
Argentina (ARG)							4	4	5	1	17	7		3	7	8	4	5		6	2	3	7	13	10	11	4	5	5	3	22
Armenia (ARM)																							1	2	1	1	2	2	2	2	8
Aruba (ARU)																									2	1	2	2	2	2	6
Australasia (ANZ)				5	9																										2
Australia (AUS)		1				6	5	5	5	5	10	10	26	26	32	24	24	28	17	31	25	33	33	44	41	43	47	39	37	44	26
Austria (AUT)	2	3	1	1	8			3		8	2	3		10	7	3	2	1	5	6	6	2	4	8	6	12	11	6	7	5	26
Azerbaijan (AZE)																							1	2	4	12	2	2	2	2	8
Bahamas (BAH)																		2		2	1	2	1	4	4	4	1	3	2	2	12
Bahrain (BRN)																				2				2	2	2	2	1	2	2	8
Bangladesh (BAN)																					2	1	1	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	10
Barbados (BAR)																1				1	1		2	3	4	4	1	2	2	1	11
Belarus (BLR)																							10	9	9	8	8	8	6		7
Belgium (BEL)		1		7	5	12	6	5			6	10	6	3	2	6	4	10	7	4	7	7	4	9		7	13	10	2	4	25
Benin (BEN)																									2	2	2	2	2	2	6
Bermuda (BER)										5	5		2							1	1	6		1	1	2	1	2		2	12
Bhutan (BHU)																													1	1	2
Bolivia (BOL)										1											1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	11
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)																						2	2	2	1	1	2	2	2	2	9
Botswana (BOT)																										2		2	1	2	4
Brazil (BRA)						2			8	16	13	12	4	5	4	4	12	9	9	7	15	9	10	13	23	25	19	36	27	20	23
British Virgin Islands (IVB)																												1	1		2
Brunei (BRU)																											1		1	2	3
Bulgaria (BUL)																3	3	5	13		8	5	1	6	6	4	4	3	5	4	14
Burkina Faso (BUR)																									1	2	2	2	2	2	6
Burundi (BDI)																									2	1	2	2	2	2	6
Cambodia (CAM)																	4						2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	9
Cameroon (CMR)																									1	2	2		2	2	5
Canada (CAN)				1	1	3	2	6	14	14	9	9	8	8	12	15	38	38		37	31	29	27	39	20	27	33	30	26	29	26
Cape Verde (CPV)																													2	2	2
Cayman Islands (CAY)																									3	2	2	2	2	2	6
Central African Republic (CAF)																											1	2	1	2	4
Chile (CHI)								4		4		1											1	2	3	2	1	2	2	2	11
China (CHN)										2	1	1								14	24	16	21	21	28	42	51	45	30	32	14
Chinese Taipei (TPE)														1		4	3			5	8		8	13	13	5	3	2	3	2	13
Colombia (COL)											2		3		1	9	4	5	2	1	1	1	5	5	3	5	3	4	2	2	18
Comoros (COM)																										1	1	2		2	4
Republic of the Congo (CGO)																						1	2	2	2	1	2	2	1	2	9
Cook Islands (COK)																										1	2	2	1	2	5
Costa Rica (CRC)																1		1	2	1	8	1	3	2	1	2	2	1	2	2	14
Croatia (CRO)																							11	17	13	13	4	2	2	3	8
Cuba (CUB)											2	2	2	1		3						2	3	7	2	2	1	2	2	2	14
Cyprus (CYP)																			4			2	2	7	5	2	1	2	2	2	10
Czechoslovakia (TCH)						4	9	1		3	3	4	2	3	3	1	3	1	5		6	8									17
Czech Republic (CZE)																							10	6	12	10	6	8	9	5	8
Democratic Republic of the Congo (COD)																										1				2	2
Denmark (DEN)		1		5	1		4	5	2	18	6	9	2	4	3	3	6	2	1	3	15	8	10	7	6	9	10	15	11	7	27
Djibouti (DJI)																											1	1	2	2	4
Dominica (DMA)																							1	2						2	3
Dominican Republic (DOM)																								1		1	2	2	2	2	6
East Germany (GDR)																24	37	23	30		26										5
East Timor (TLS)																													2	2	2
Ecuador (ECU)																3	1	1	2			1	5	3	1	2	3	3	4	3	13
Egypt (EGY)										1	6	3					2			8	5	2	2	6	2	3	3	7	4	3	15
El Salvador (ESA)																14	7			2		1	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	12
Equatorial Guinea (GEQ)																								2					1	1	3
Eritrea (ERI)																													1	2	2
Estonia (EST)										2												4	1	4	6	9	2	2	3	2	8
Ethiopia (ETH)																											2	2	1	1	4
Fiji (FIJ)																				3	5	3	2	2	1	1	2	2	2	2	11
Finland (FIN)				3	6	1	2	1	1	2	1	13	1	5	6	3	1	1	1	2	1	12	12	7	7	5	7	8	5	2	27
France (FRA)		47		4	3	13	20	13	5	8	17	16	16	19	9	16	18	16	13	16	25	25	25	19	21	35	31	30	27	33	28
Gabon (GAB)																												1	2	2	3
The Gambia (GAM)																												1	1	2	3
Georgia (GEO)																								1	1	2	1	2	2	2	7
Germany (GER)		6	4	5	17			19	2	24		9	18	26	38							24	28	35	35	25	30	29	31	25	20
Ghana (GHA)																												2	2	2	3
Great Britain (GBR)		7		25	18	18	26	21	15	22	32	26	22	32	33	27	36	40	32	33	31	28	39	32	37	24	44	28	32	33	28
Greece (GRE)	15				1		1			5	2			2			5	2	2	3	4	2	8	14	28	18	14	15	12	17	20
Grenada (GRN)																								1	2		1	2	2	2	6
Guam (GUM)																					4	7	2	1	1	1	3	2	2		9
Guatemala (GUA)												1				3				6	1	5	2	1	4	1	1	2	2	2	13
Guinea (GUI)																								2	1	2	1	2	2	2	7
Guinea-Bissau (GBS)																														1	1
Guyana (GUY)																									1	1	2	2	2	2	6
Haiti (HAI)																							1					2	2	2	4
Honduras (HON)																				6	3	4	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	11
Hong Kong (HKG)												4	2	1	3	3	2	4		8	10	8	3	9	7	4	3	7	9	7	18
Hungary (HUN)	1	1	2	10	8		6	8	5	13	15	15	16	18	19	14	16	8	13		13	13	21	18	25	28	32	35	34	23	28
Iceland (ISL)											8			2	2	4	4	3		4	6	2	3	9	7	8	7	3	2	2	17
Independent Olympic Participants (IOP)																						4									1
India (IND)									1		7	5	2								1		2	2	1	4	1	2	3	2	12
Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA)																												2			1
Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)																														4	1
Indonesia (INA)												1	3	2				1		1	2		1	6	3	2	1	2	2	2	13
Iran (IRI)															1								1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
Iraq (IRQ)																								2	1		1	1		1	5
Ireland (IRL)								2								4	7	4	3	2	5	2	5	4	2	3	4	3	9	12	16
Israel (ISR)												1	1	4	2	6	1	2		3	1	4	4	10	2	7	5	7	13	28	18
Italy (ITA)		2		4	2	4	6	5	2			10	7	23	16	10	24	13	13	26	21	24	14	21	29	34	35	38	38	40	26
Ivory Coast (CIV)																									2	1	2	2	1		5
Jamaica (JAM)																1	1			4			1		4	3	1	2	2	2	10
Japan (JPN)						2	6	10	23	21		22	19	21	38	20	15	15		22	23	25	27	21	20	31	29	36	35	29	23
Jordan (JOR)																							2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	8
Kazakhstan (KAZ)																							7	8	11	12	7	3	1	2	8
Kenya (KEN)													1											2	2	2	2	2	2	2	8
Kosovo (KOS)																												2	2	2	3
Kuwait (KUW)																	2		3	5	2	3	3	2		1	2		2	2	11
Kyrgyzstan (KGZ)																							12	18	6	3	2	2	1	2	8
Laos (LAO)																								1	2	2	1	2	2	2	7
Latvia (LAT)																						1	4	4	5	2	2	2	2	2	9
Lebanon (LIB)																1	2		2	4	4	1		2	5	2	2	2	2	2	13
Lesotho (LES)																											1				1
Libya (LBA)																			4						2	2	1	2	1	2	7
Liechtenstein (LIE)																											1	2	2		2
Lithuania (LTU)																						2	8	6	10	9	4	6	6	7	9
Luxembourg (LUX)						2	4	3		4		1	1	4	1	1					2	1		3	2	4	1	3	2	1	17
North Macedonia (MKD)																							4	4	4	2	2	2	2	2	8
Madagascar (MAD)																			3			1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	10
Malawi (MAW)																									2	2	1	2	2	2	6
Malaysia (MAS)													2	2	7		2	1		1	2	1	5	9	4	5	2	3	2	2	16
Maldives (MDV)																						2	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	9
Mali (MLI)																								2	2	2	2	2	1	2	7
Malta (MLT)																							1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	8
Marshall Islands (MHL)																										2	2	2	2	2	5
Mauritania (MTN)																														1	1
Mauritius (MRI)																						6	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	9
Mexico (MEX)									3		9	8	4	11	10	27	22	9	7	12	10	7	2	7	6	6	9	3	4	6	21
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)																								2	2	2	2	2	2	2	7
Moldova (MDA)																							5		10	3	2	2	2	2	7
Monaco (MON)																		1		1		1	1	1	1		1		2	2	9
Mongolia (MGL)																								2	1	2	2	2	2	2	7
Montenegro (MNE)																										1		2	2	2	4
Morocco (MAR)																								1	1	1	1	2	2	2	7
Mozambique (MOZ)																			5	2	2	3	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	12
Myanmar (MYA)														1	1									1		1		1		1	6
Namibia (NAM)																						2	1	1					1	1	5
Nepal (NEP)																							2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	8
Netherlands (NED)		4		7		4	12	14	5	14	12	13		19	26	17	19	15	12	16	11	9	20	24	16	18	15	17	16	20	24
Netherlands Antilles (AHO)																				3	1		1	2		1					5
New Zealand (NZL)						1	1	4			1	2	5		2	4	6	9		8	7	11	14	8	13	15	17	9	7	9	21
Nicaragua (NCA)																		2	1				1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	10
Niger (NIG)																								2	1	2	1	2	2	2	7
Nigeria (NGR)																						2		2	2	2		2	1	2	7
Norway (NOR)					5	2	1	1	1		1	3				1	4	7		3	2	6	5		1	4	3	2	4	3	20
Oman (OMA)																							1	1		4			1	1	5
Pakistan (PAK)											4	2	3										1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	11
Palau (PLW)																								2	1	1	1	2	2	2	7
Palestine (PLE)																								1	1	2	2	2	2	2	7
Panama (PAN)								1										3		1	1	1	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	13
Papua New Guinea (PNG)																								2	1	2	2	1	2	2	7
Paraguay (PAR)																		3				2	2	2	1	2	2	2	2	2	9
Peru (PER)										3				6		3	3		4	5	2	2	2	3	2	2	3	2	2	3	16
Philippines (PHI)								2	3	5	3	1	8	8	2	7	7	3		4	4	5	2	4	5	5	2	2	2	2	22
Poland (POL)								2		4		7	1	5		4	5	3	8		5	14	11	8	7	15	19	20	17	21	19
Portugal (POR)							1				1	4		5	3			5	2	2	12	9	12	7	11	10	7	5	9	5	18
Puerto Rico (PUR)														1	4	9		12		5	3	6	7	3	6	4	2	2	2	2	15
Qatar (QAT)																								1	1	1	2	2	2	1	7
Rhodesia (RHO)														4																	1
Romania (ROU)												1	2	2		2	3		5	2	5	10	14	11	7	6	4	6	4	3	17
Russia (RUS)					4																		30	28	30	35	35	36	36		8
Rwanda (RWA)																								2	2	2	2	2	2	2	7
Saar (SAA)												1																			1
Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN)																														1	1
Saint Lucia (LCA)																								2	1	1	1	1	2	1	7
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN)																								2	1		1	2	2	2	6
Samoa (SAM)																												2		2	1
San Marino (SMR)																				2	2		1	1	2	2	1		1	1	10
Saudi Arabia (KSA)																						2		1	1	1			1	2	6
Senegal (SEN)																					2	2		2	2	2	2	2	2	2	9
Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)																							4		7						2
Serbia (SRB)																										9	8	6	7	5	5
Seychelles (SEY)																						4	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	7
Sierra Leone (SLE)																							1					2	2	2	4
Singapore (SGP)												1					3			4	5	5	5	8	5	5	5	3	4	5	13
Slovakia (SVK)																							3	4	2	3	5	3	2	2	8
Slovenia (SLO)																						5	5	6	11	10	12	10	4	5	9
Solomon Islands (SOL)																													1	1	2
South Africa (RSA)					1	1		5	1		3	6	8	3								10	7	14	8	24	20	13	17	8	17
South Korea (KOR)															4	1	1			3	15	4	20	17	19	16	15	8	12	15	14
Soviet Union (URS)												18	10	23	21	31	26	31	39		27	29									9
Spain (ESP)						2	4	5			6	3		10	11	13	9	14	11	8	11	21	18	23	16	23	14	24	11	20	22
Sri Lanka (SRI)												1		1						1	2	1		2	2	2	2	2	2	2	12
Sudan (SUD)																								1		1	2	2	2	2	6
Suriname (SUR)																				2	1	3	4	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	11
Swaziland (SWZ)																				1	2		1	2	1	1	1		2	2	9
Sweden (SWE)		1		12	24	13	14	9	2	5	8	12	5	15	14	16	15	18	24	24	18	17	18	16	15	18	12	11	10	12	28
Switzerland (SUI)						4	2	1		4	8	8		9	2	4	10	2	3	13	10	4	5	9	13	7	7	8	13	8	23
Syria (SYR)																						1	1	2	1	3	2	2	1	1	9
Tajikistan (TJK)																								2		2	1	2	2	2	6
Tanzania (TAN)																										2	2	2		2	4
Thailand (THA)															2			2				5	6	8	6	2	2	2	2	2	11
Togo (TOG)																											1	2	1	1	4
Tonga (TGA)																											1	2	2	2	4
Trinidad and Tobago (TRI)																1	1			1	1		2	3	3	3	1	2	2	2	12
Tunisia (TUN)																		2		1	1			1	2	2	4	2	2	2	10
Turkey (TUR)														2			2			4	2	3	4	7	9	11	6	4	11	8	13
Turkmenistan (TKM)																									2	2	2	2	2	2	6
Uganda (UGA)																				1				2	1	2	2	2	2	2	8
Ukraine (UKR)																							13	25	27	23	14	7	9	5	8
United Arab Emirates (UAE)																					6	5	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	2	10
United States (USA)	1	2	25	8	7	22	26	23	27	28	28	30	28	31	48	52	51	51		43	44	40	44	48	43	43	49	47	53	48	29
Uruguay (URU)											2	1				5	4	1		2	1	1	2	4	4	3	2	2	2	2	16
Uzbekistan (UZB)																							6	10	15	7	2	2	2		7
Vanuatu (VAN)																														2	1
Venezuela (VEN)												1		1	2		4	12	3	6			7	5	4	13	10	6	4	3	14
Vietnam (VIE)												1		2	3	2			11		2	2	2	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	15
Virgin Islands (ISV)																		2		7	6	3	1	1	2	1	1	2	2	2	12
West Germany (FRG)																27	44	22		24	29										5
Yemen (YEM)																									1	2	2	1	2	1	6
Yugoslavia (YUG)							6			4	6	3	1	9	2	6	5	4	3	3	3			9							22
Zambia (ZAM)															2									2	2	2	2	2	2	2	6
Zimbabwe (ZIM)															2				2		4	4	1	3	2	2	1	2	2	2	10
Nations	4	12	4	14	17	19	23	28	20	29	34	48	33	45	42	51	52	51	41	67	77	92	117	150	152	162	166	169	182	194
Swimmers	19	76	32	100	120	116	118	182	128	248	249	319	235	380	405	468	532	471	333	494	633	641	762	954	937	1026	950	950	1000	852
Year	96	00	04	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	24

Olympic records

The International Olympic Committee recognize the best performances in all 35 current swimming events at the Games as Olympic records.

Notable changes to the sport

Times have consistently dropped over the years due to better training techniques and new developments within the sport.

In the first four Olympics, competitions were not held in pools, but rather in open water (1896, the Mediterranean Sea; 1900, the Seine; 1904, an artificial lake; 1906, the Mediterranean). The 1904 Olympics' races were the only ones ever measured in yards, instead of the usual metres. A 100-metre pool was built for the 1908 Olympics and was located in the centre of the main stadium's track and field oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm harbor, marked the beginning of electrical timing.

Male swimmers wore full body swimsuits up until the 1940s, which caused more drag in the water than their modern swim-wear counterparts. Also, over the years, pool designs have lessened the drag. Some design considerations allow for the reduction of swimming resistance making the pool faster, namely, proper pool depth, elimination of waves, elimination of currents, increased lane width, energy absorbing racing lane lines and gutters, and the use of other innovative hydraulic, acoustic, illumination, and swimwear designs.

The 1924 Olympics were the first to use the standard 50-metre pool with marked lanes (a standard that remains to this day). In the freestyle, swimmers originally dove from the pool walls, but diving blocks were first incorporated at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The flip-turn was developed by the 1950s. Swimming goggles were first allowed in 1976.

The butterfly stroke events were not held until 1956. Previous rules permitted the butterfly stroke in breaststroke races. After 1956, when these rules were changed, butterfly became its own stroke entirely.

The 800m event was added to the women's programme in 1968; whilst longer, this event was not as far as the men's 1,500m event. This discrepancy was evened out in 2020: that year, the 1,500 metres was included in the women's programme for the first time and the 800 metres freestyle was added to the men's programme.

Both men and women were granted the 200 metres freestyle race in 1968, giving swimmers an intermediate distance race between 100 metres and 400 metres.

The women's 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay race was added in 1996—a men's relay race at that distance had been held since 1912; interestingly, the winning time for the women's 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay in 1996 was more than two minutes faster than the men's 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay of 1912. At six Games, the men had two freestyle relay races, while the women had one. Starting with 1996, both genders have two.

The medley relay races (4 × 100 metres) were not held for men or for women until 1960, but they have continued in every Games since then.

Starting in 2008, both men and women compete in 10 km open water marathon swim events.

The mixed 4 × 100 metres medley relay (2 women and 2 men) was added to the programme in the 2020 Olympic Games.

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Distances at the 1904 Olympics were measured in yards rather than metres. The 50 yard freestyle was 45.7 metres and the 100 yard freestyle and backstroke races were 91.4 metres. The 220, 440, and 880 yard freestyle races were 201, 402, and 805 metres, respectively. Instead of a 1500 metre race, there was a 1 mile race which made for 1609 metres. The 440 yard breaststroke, like the freestyle, was 402 metres. The relay, 4 × 50 yards, was 4 × 45.7 metres.
↑ In 1920, the women's event was 300 metres.
↑ "Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
↑ "Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 2022-01-31.

Related Research Articles

A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating. In the Olympic Games, there are several types of relay races that are part of track and field, each consisting of a set number of stages (legs), each leg run by different members of a team. The runner finishing one leg is usually required to pass the next runner a stick-like object known as a "baton" while both are running in a marked exchange zone. In most relays, team members cover equal distances: Olympic events for both men and women are the 400-metre and 1,600-metre relays. Some non-Olympic relays are held at distances of 800 m, 3,200 m, and 6,000 m. In the less frequently run medley relays, however, the athletes cover different distances in a prescribed order—as in a sprint medley of 200, 200, 400, 800 metres or a distance medley of 1,200, 400, 800, 1,600 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medley swimming</span> Combination of four swimming styles into one race

Medley swimming is a combination of four different swimming strokes into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley (IM) or by four swimmers as a medley relay.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre freestyle</span>

The men's 200 metre freestyle was a sprint swimming event in the Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Paris. It was the shortest of the three freestyle events. It was held on 11 August and 12 August 1900. 26 swimmers from 10 nations competed. The event was won by Frederick Lane of Australia, with Zoltán Halmay of Hungary earning silver and Karl Ruberl of Austria earning bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre freestyle</span>

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1976 Summer Olympics took place on July 19 at the Olympic Pool, Montreal. There were 55 competitors from 33 nations, with each nation having up to three swimmers. The medals were swept the United States, the only time there has been a medal sweep in the men's 200 metre freestyle. Bruce Furniss took gold, John Naber silver, and Jim Montgomery bronze. It was the second consecutive and third overall victory by an American swimmer.

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1992 Summer Olympics took place on 26 July at the Piscines Bernat Picornell in Barcelona, Spain. There were 55 competitors from 39 nations, with each nation having up to two swimmers. The event was won by Yevgeny Sadovyi of the Unified Team; it was the first victory in the men's 200 metre freestyle by an athlete from the former Soviet Union since Moscow 1980. Anders Holmertz of Sweden repeated as the silver medalist, becoming the first man to win multiple medals in the event. Antti Kasvio earned a bronze medal in Finland's debut in the event.

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1984 Summer Olympics was held in the McDonald's Olympic Swim Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on July 29, 1984. There were 56 competitors from 36 nations, with each nation having up to two swimmers. The event was won by Michael Gross of West Germany, the nation's first victory in the event. His countryman Thomas Fahrner took bronze. Americans placed second and fourth, with Mike Heath earning silver and Jeff Float in fourth place.

The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 1980 Summer Olympics was held on 26 and 27 July at the Swimming Pool at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex. There were 39 competitors from 26 nations. Nations had been limited to three swimmers each since the 1924 Games. The event was won by Jörg Woithe of East Germany, the nation's first medal in the men's 100 metre freestyle. Sweden earned its first medals in the event since 1952 with Per Holmertz's silver and Per Johansson's bronze.

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1980 Summer Olympics was held on 21 July at the Swimming Pool at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex. There were 42 competitors from 24 nations, with each nation having up to three swimmers. The event was won by Sergey Koplyakov of the Soviet Union, with his countryman Andrey Krylov finishing second. The medals were the first for the Soviet Union in the men's 200 metre freestyle. Graeme Brewer of Australia won that nation's first medal in the event since 1968 with his bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre freestyle</span>

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place on 18–19 September at the Olympic Park Swimming Pool in Seoul, South Korea. There were 63 competitors from 41 nations, with each nation having up to two swimmers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming (sport)</span> Water-based sport

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.

Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of World Aquatics, in which competitors are subject to only a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most common of all swimming competitions, with distances beginning with 50 meters and reaching 1,500 meters, also known as the mile. The term 'freestyle stroke' is sometimes used as a synonym for 'front crawl', as front crawl is the fastest surface swimming stroke. It is now the most common stroke used in freestyle competitions.

The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place between 30 and 31 July at the Empire Pool. There were 41 competitors from 19 nations. Nations had been limited to three swimmers each since the 1924 Games. The event was won by Wally Ris, returning the United States to the podium in the event after a one-Games absence broke a seven-Games streak. It was the sixth victory for an American in the 100 metre freestyle, most of any nation. Another American, Alan Ford, took silver. Géza Kádas of Hungary earned bronze, the nation's third medal in four Games. Japan's three-Games medal streak in the event ended with no Japanese swimmers competing due to the nation not being invited after World War II.

The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 1952 Summer Olympics took place between 26 and 27 July at the Helsinki Swimming Stadium. There were 61 competitors from 33 nations. Nations had been limited to three swimmers each since the 1924 Games. The event was won by Clarke Scholes of the United States, the nation's second consecutive and seventh overall victory in the men's 100 metre freestyle. Japan, absent from the 1948 Games after World War II, returned to the podium in the event with Hiroshi Suzuki's silver. Göran Larsson earned Sweden's first medal in the event since 1908 with his bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of swimming</span>

Swimming has been recorded since prehistoric times; the earliest recording of swimming dates back to Stone Age paintings from around 7,000 years ago. In 1578, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book.

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1968 Olympic Games took place on 24 October at the Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez. It was the third time the event was held, returning for the first time since 1904. There were 57 competitors from 26 nations, with each nation having up to three swimmers. The event was won by Michael Wenden of Australia, the nation's second victory in the event ; Australia extended its podium streak in the event to three Games over 68 years. It was Wenden's second gold medal of the Games, completing a 100/200 free double. Americans Don Schollander and John Nelson took silver and bronze, respectively.

The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 1972 Olympic Games took place between September 2 and 3. There were 48 competitors from 29 nations. Nations had been limited to three swimmers each since the 1924 Games. The event was won by Mark Spitz of the United States, his then-record sixth gold medal in a single Games. It was the ninth victory in the event for an American, most of any nation. Jerry Heidenreich, also of the United States, took silver. Soviet swimmer Vladimir Bure earned bronze, the nation's first medal in the men's 100 metre freestyle.

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1972 Summer Olympics took place on August 29 at the Olympia Schwimmhalle. There were 46 competitors from 27 nations, with each nation having up to three swimmers. The event was won by Mark Spitz of the United States, the nation's second victory in the event. It was the third gold medal for Spitz in 1972, halfway to his goal of six. His teammate Steve Genter took silver, with Werner Lampe of West Germany earning bronze. Defending champion Michael Wenden of Australia finished fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span>

The swimming competitions at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London took place from 28 July to 4 August at the Aquatics Centre. The open-water competition took place from 9 to 10 August in Hyde Park.

References

International Olympic Committee results database

External links

Swim Rankings results

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1904Games-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Distances at the 1904 Olympics were measured in yards rather than metres. The 50 yard freestyle was 45.7 metres and the 100 yard freestyle and backstroke races were 91.4 metres. The 220, 440, and 880 yard freestyle races were 201, 402, and 805 metres, respectively. Instead of a 1500 metre race, there was a 1 mile race which made for 1609 metres. The 440 yard breaststroke, like the freestyle, was 402 metres. The relay, 4 × 50 yards, was 4 × 45.7 metres.

[W300-2] In 1920, the women's event was 300 metres.

[3] "Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 2022-01-31.

[4] "Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 2022-01-31.

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[2]

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[4]

v t e Swimming at the Summer Olympics
Editions	1896 1900 1904 1906 (Intercalated) 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Current events	50 m free 100 m free 200 m free 400 m free 800 m free 1500 m free 100 m back 200 m back 100 m breast 200 m breast 100 m fly 200 m fly 200 m IM 400 m IM 4 × 100 m free relay 4 × 200 m free relay 4 × 100 m medlay relay 10 km
Past events	500 m free (1896) 1000 m free (1900) 1200 m free (1896) 4000 m free (1900) 400 m breast 1904 1912 1920 4 × 100 yd free relay (1904) 200 m team (1900) 200 m obstacle (1900) underwater (1900) 100 m free sailors (1896)
List of medalists men women List of Olympic records List of Olympic venues

v t e Sports at the Olympic Games
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v t e International swimming
Olympic Games Youth World Championships Open Water Short Course Junior Masters Para INAS World Cup World Series Paralympic Games Geography Achievements by nation
Africa	CANA – African Championships African Games African Junior Championships
Americas	UANA (AFC CCCAN CONSANAT USAS) – Caribbean Islands Championships Central American & Caribbean Championships South American Championships Pan American Games
Asia	AASF – Asian Championships Asian Games
Europe	LEN – European Championships European Short Course Championships European Junior Championships European U-23 Championships European Games European Para Championships
Oceania	OSA – Oceania Championships Pacific Games
International	Arab Championships Arab Games Commonwealth Games International Swimming League Mediterranean Games Pan Pacific Championships Universiade
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