Swimming has been contested at every modern Summer Olympics. It has been open to women since 1912. The discipline of swimming is part of the Olympic sport of aquatics alongside artistic swimming, diving, marathon swimming and water polo. At the Olympics, swimming has the second-highest number of medal-contested events after athletics.

Summary

GamesYear EventsBest nation 1 1896 4 (1) 2 1900 7 (1) 3 1904 9 (1) 4 1908 6 (2) 5 1912 9 (2) 6 7 1920 10 (1) 8 1924 11 (2) 9 1928 11 (3) 10 1932 11 (1) 11 1936 11 (2) 12 13 14 1948 11 (4) 15 1952 11 (5) 16 1956 13 (1) 17 1960 15 (6) 18 1964 18 (7) 19 1968 29 (8) 20 1972 29 (9) 21 1976 26 (10) 22 1980 26 (1) 23 1984 29 (11) 24 1988 31 (2) 25 1992 31 (12) 26 1996 32 (13) 27 2000 32 (14) 28 2004 32 (15) 29 2008 32 (16) 30 2012 32 (17) 31 2016 32 (18) 32 2020 35 (19) 33 2024 35 (20) 34 2028 41

Events 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 28 Years 50 metres freestyle XDistances 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. colspan="17" X X X X X X X X X X X 12 100 metres freestyle 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 X X X 30 200 metres freestyle () X X colspan="12" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 18 400 metres freestyle 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 X X 29800 metre freestyle X colspan="25" X X X 41500 metre freestyle 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 X X 29 50 metre backstroke colspan="30" X 1 100 metre backstroke 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 X 28 200 metre backstroke X colspan="12" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 18 50 metre breaststroke colspan="30" X 1100 metre breaststroke colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16 200 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 X 28 50 metre butterfly colspan="30" X 1 100 metre butterfly colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16200 metre butterfly colspan="12" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 19 200 metre individual medley colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 14 400 metre individual medley colspan="14" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 174 × 100 metre freestyle relay colspan="14" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 15 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 X 28 4 × 100 metre medley relay colspan="13" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 18 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 20

Past events

400 metre breaststroke: 1904, 1912, 1920 4 × 50 yard freestyle relay: 1904

Only at the 1896 Summer Olympics 500 metre freestyle 1200 metre freestyle 100 metre freestyle for sailors

Only at the 1900 Summer Olympics 1000 metre freestyle 4000 metre freestyle 200 metre team swimming 200 metre obstacle event Underwater swimming

Women'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 28 Years 50 metre freestyle colspan="20" X X X X X X X X X X X 11 100 metre freestyle colspan="4" 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 27 200 metre freestyle () colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16 400 metre freestyle colspan="5" XIn 1920, the women's event was 300 metres. 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 26 800 metre freestyle colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16 1500 metre freestyle colspan="28" X X X 3 50 metre backstroke colspan="30" X 1 100 metre backstroke colspan="6" 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 25 200 metre backstroke colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16 50 metre breaststroke colspan="30" X 1 100 metre breaststroke colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16 200 metre breaststroke colspan="6" 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 25 50 metre butterfly colspan="30" X 1 100 metre butterfly colspan="12" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 19 200 metre butterfly colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16 200 metre individual medley colspan="15" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 14 400 metre individual medley colspan="14" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 17 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay colspan="4" 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 × 200 metre freestyle relay colspan="22" X X X X X X X X X 9 4 × 100 metre medley relay colspan="13" X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 18 Events 2355555567814141313141515161616161616171720

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 28 Years 4 × 100 metre medley relay colspan="28" X X X 3 Events 1 1 1

Medal table Updated after the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympedia classifies the plunge for distance event at the 1904 Olympic Games as a swimming competition, resulting in the USA being credited with one additional medal of any color in swimming rather than in diving.

Nations

Nations 4 12 4 14 17 19 23 28 20 29 34 48 33 45 42 51 52 51 41 67 77 92 117 150 152 162 167 172 181 189 Swimmers 19 76 32 100 120 116 118 182 128 248 249 319 235 380 405 468 532 471 333 494 633 641 762 954 937 986 900 906 1000 854

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 800 m event was added to the women's programme in 1968; whilst longer, this event was not as far as the men's 1500 m event. This discrepancy was evened out in 2020: that year, the 1500 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.

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

the men’s and women’s 50 m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly were added to the programme in the 2028 Olympic Games.

Notes

See also List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men) List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women) List of Olympic venues in swimming Major achievements in swimming by nation Swimming at the Summer Paralympics

References International Olympic Committee results database

External links Swim Rankings results