【Introduction to Rio Olympic Events】 – Swimming Competitions
Thread Content
Olympic swimming competitions – Event overview: An international standard swimming pool is 50 meters long, at least 21 meters wide, and over 1.80 meters deep. There are 8 lanes, each 2.50 meters wide, with the lane lines formed by individual buoys with diameters of 5 to 10 centimeters. Athletes must start the race from a starting block (except for backstroke), with the block being 50–75 centimeters above the water surface and having an area of 50×50 centimeters. When swimming was included as an Olympic event in 1896, no swimming style was distinguished; it was true \"freestyle\", with only three events: 100 meters, 500 meters, and 1200 meters. At the 2nd Olympic Games in 1900, backstroke was separated as a distinct event; at the 3rd Olympic Games in 1904, breaststroke was also separated as its own event. At the 5th Olympic Games in 1912, women’s swimming was included as a competition event. At the 16th Olympic Games in 1956, the butterfly stroke was added, establishing the four standard swimming strokes. Since then, Olympic swimming competitions have evolved to include six main events – freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke, individual medley, and relays (freestyle and mixed) – with 32 distinct events in total, making it the second-largest source of gold medals at the Olympics after track and field. Olympic swimming competitions – Competition rules The associations participating in the Olympics must be those recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Athletes sent by various associations must participate in the qualifying competitions organized by FINA and the International Olympic Committee to obtain eligibility to compete. Eligibility For each individual event in the Olympics, the International Swimming Federation determines the qualifying times. The eligibility criteria are divided into two categories, A and B, with the requirements for category B being relatively easier to meet. If a ** or association sends one competitor per event, those competitors must meet the Olympic Standard B. If two athletes compete in the same event, their results must meet the Olympic A standard. Only by achieving an A standard in competitions recognized by FINA can a swimmer’s Olympic entry be valid. Individual events: In each individual event, **at most two athletes who have met the Olympic Standard A requirement may compete; if they meet the Olympic Standard B requirement, only one athlete can participate. Relay race: In each relay event, only **one team may compete. **No athletes meeting the standards**: When no one meets the Olympic Standard A or Standard B, one male and one female athlete may be sent to compete, in accordance with the eligibility rules.
Competitions: In the Olympic swimming events, for individual events of 200 meters or less (including 200 meters), preliminaries, semifinals, and finals are held; for individual and relay events of 400 meters or more, only preliminaries and finals take place. Athletes and relay teams compete in preliminaries based on their registration scores, and those with the best results from the preliminaries advance to the semifinals or finals. The top 16 in the preliminary round advance to the semifinals, and the top 8 from the semifinals proceed to the finals. When competing in a pool with 8 lanes, the best-performing athletes or relay teams from the same group should be assigned to lane 4. The other athletes or relay teams are arranged in the order of their performance, taking the lanes 5, 3, 6, 2, 7, 1, 8 sequence. The relay race is held by teams, with each team being able to select any four athletes from those registered in the same group to participate in the relay. In the preliminaries and finals, participants may be exchanged freely, but any unauthorized change in the order of baton passing or substitution of athletes after the relay lineup has been submitted shall be considered a violation. Starting and touching the wall: In Olympic swimming competitions, any athlete who commits a foul by starting too early will be disqualified from the race. Competitions in freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and individual medley must start with a jump from the starting block, while backstroke starts in the water. When the chief referee gives the long whistle signal, the athletes should stand on the starting block (for backstroke swimmers, they enter the water and quickly swim back to the edge of the pool at the second long whistle from the chief referee, preparing to start in the water). Once the starter gives the command “Get set,” the athletes should have at least one foot on the front edge of the starting block, ready to start, with no restrictions regarding the position of their arms. When all athletes are at rest, the starter gives the \"start signal\" (a gunshot, a whistle, a horn sound, or a verbal command). Athletes can take action only after hearing the “start signal”. In freestyle and backstroke competitions, swimmers can touch the wall with just one hand upon reaching the finish line, whereas in breaststroke and butterfly competitions, both hands must touch the wall at the same time. Turning: Olympic swimming competitions are held in standard pools that are 50 meters long; all races over 50 meters require swimmers to turn around at some point during the race. When turning, freestyle and backstroke allow swimmers to use any part of their body to touch the pool wall, which enables them to use their feet to push against the wall after turning underwater. An exception to this rule of turning around is in the individual medley: when changing from backstroke to breaststroke, the swimmer must maintain the backstroke position until they reach the pool wall. Timing: The competition results and rankings of all swimmers are determined by automatic timing devices. When the athlete starts, the pressure plate on the starting platform will record the data. Touch plates are installed at both ends of each lane, and touches against the wall by swimmers are also recorded. Since the touchboard and the starting platform are interconnected, it is possible to determine whether the athletes competing in the relay enter the water after their teammates have touched the wall. In a relay race, if any athlete leaves the starting block 0.03 seconds before their teammate touches the wall, that team will be automatically disqualified. (Athletes can initiate the move when their teammate touches the wall, but their feet must be in contact with the starting platform.)
Olympic swimming competitions – Venues and facilities Competition venue An international standard swimming pool is 50 meters long, at least 25 meters wide, and over 2 meters deep. There are 8 lanes, each 2.50 meters wide, with the outer lane lines of the first and eighth lanes being 2.50 meters away from the pool wall. Lane lines: The length of the lane lines should be equal to that of the track, and they are fixed to hooks embedded in the walls at both ends of the track. The position of the hook should ensure that the buoys at both ends of the lane line remain afloat on the water surface. The diameter of the lane-marking buoys is 0.05 to 0.15 meters. Automatic timing device: In swimming competitions, automatic timing systems are primarily used to record each athlete’s time and determine their ranking. The automatic timing system consists of three parts: a starting device, a touch plate, and a timer. At the Olympic Games and World Championships, the automatic timing system should also include large electronic display screens and a finish-line video recording system. (1) The starting device includes a microphone and a whistle (if a starting gun is used, a transducer must be included). The starting device is connected to the speakers at each starting platform, so that every athlete can hear the starter’s commands and the starting signal at the same time. (2) The dimensions of the touch plate should be at least 2.4 meters wide, 0.9 meters high, and 0.01 meters thick ±0.002 meters. It should be installed in a fixed position at the center of each end of the swimming lane; when athletes turn or reach the finish line, touching the touch plate will record their race time or segment times. (3) The timer shall be installed in a controlled room equipped with air conditioning, 3 to 5 meters away from the finish end of the swimming pool, and the area of the controlled room shall be no less than 6 meters × 3 meters. During the competition, the line of sight between the control room and the swimming pool must not be obstructed. (4) According to the rules, swimming race timers must be accurate to 1/100 second. In addition to recording and processing athletes’ competition results, it can also automatically record the number of strokes an athlete swims, as well as determine whether an athlete commits a violation by failing to pass the baton in relay races. (5) Large electronic displays will show the athletes’ scores, rankings, and other information during the competition. The electronic display should be able to show at least 10 rows, with 32 characters per row; letters and numbers can be displayed at each character position. (6) At the Olympic Games and World Championships, the finish-line video system will be used as part of the automatic timing system to record athletes’ race results. In other events, a semi-automatic timing device is required as a supplement. The semi-automatic timing system requires 3 referees per lane, each operating independently the button connected to the timer; when an athlete reaches the finish line, the referee presses the button to record the athlete’s time. Backstroke turn signal flag: The flag rope running across the pool should be hung at a height of not less than 1.8 meters and not more than 2.5 meters above the water surface, at a distance of 5.0 meters from each end of the pool. Start foul recall line: The start foul recall line should be hung at a height of not less than 1.2 meters above the water surface, 15.0 meters away from each end wall of the pool. The start foul recall line should be connected by a quick disconnect device. The foul recall line must be able to effectively cover all lanes when activated. Starting platform: The starting platform should be located at the center of each lane at both ends of the swimming pool, with its front edge being 50–75 centimeters above the water surface. The surface area is 50×50 cm and covered with anti-slip material, with an inclination of no more than 10 degrees. The starting platform should ensure that athletes using a forward-leaning starting position can grasp the platform in front of or to the sides. If the thickness of the launch platform is greater than 0.04 meters, it is recommended to have handshake grooves on both sides with a width of not less than 0.1 meters, a front width of not less than 0.4 meters, and a depth of 0.03 meters into the platform body. Reclined starting handles should be installed on both sides of the starting platform. The starting grip for backstroke should be installed at a height of 0.3 to 0.6 meters above the water surface; it can be positioned either parallel to or perpendicular to the water surface, without protruding beyond the pool wall. It should be parallel to the surface of the pool wall.
This post was last edited by LLawliet on 2016-6-14 at 13:36. Olympic swimming events – Olympic events included. There are 32 events in Olympic swimming, making it the second sport in terms of the number of gold medals awarded, after track and field. A. Men’s swimming: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 4×100m freestyle relay, 4×200m freestyle relay, 4×100m mixed relay, 10km marathon swimming (open water). Diving: Individual 3m springboard, Individual 10m platform, Team 3m springboard, Team 10m platform; Water polo: Men’s. B. Women’s swimming: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 4×100m freestyle relay, 4×200m freestyle relay, 4×100m mixed relay. Diving: Individual 3m springboard, Individual 10m platform, Team 3m springboard, Team 10m platform; Water polo: Women’s. It originated in Egypt over 3000 years ago and later spread along the Mediterranean coast. It was included as a competitive event in the 23rd Ancient Greek Olympics in 500 BC.