History Of Swimming

A history of swimming would be incomplete if you did not mention cave drawings dating from 6000 years ago in the Kebir and 5000 years ago in Nagoda. Swimming is mentioned in the Bible, the Iliad and the Odyssey. There are also historical and pictorial references to swimming among various cultures including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Phoenicians and Romans.

The history of swimming in modern competition, however, reveals it is an English invention. London, England encouraged, in 1837, races between swimmers. Ongoing races throughout the 1800s, introduced a pattern of internationally attended events based on swimming. The culmination of such a sporting event was the Olympics.

Olympic swimming history begins in 1896. Athens was the host to the Olympic Games. Swimming events consisted of three - one a 100-meter freestyle race won by Alfred Hajos of Hungary. It was a start of the history of Olympic swimming medalists. The Paris Olympics increased interest, but the races used were unique and never again part of the Olympic Games.

The races at the Olympic Games and elsewhere took place outdoors in lakes, rivers and oceans. Not until 1908, did the officials allow the use of a pool for races. Women swimmers also did not take part until 1912. The history of blacks in swimming is similar to that of women’s. Denial is a common thread. Segregated pools and racial discrimination ensured African-Americans did not feature in swim teams. The United States Olympic Team of Swimmers consists predominantly of whites. Over its duration, the team has had only two black swimmers. The first black woman to win an Olympic medal was Edith Brigitha of Curacao. She won two medals for the Netherlands in 1976.

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Initially, as well, a swimmer had a limited number of swimming strokes. The common strokes used were the crawl and an old form of the breaststroke. A history of a swimming stroke commonly used, the butterfly, indicates it is last in terms of invention. The Australian crawl dates from 1902 when two Australian Brothers adopted and adapted an aboriginal swimming movement and popularized it. The breaststroke is the oldest of all swim strokes, dating back a few thousand years.
The modern breaststroke, however, dates back only to 1961 and Chet Jastremski of Indiana University. The butterfly stroke and the backstroke are also products of the 20th century. The butterfly stroke first appears in the 1930s. The backstroke emerges earlier, the product of American Harry Hebner. He unveiled it at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games.