Description
Form of competition
Events are held at distances from 50 meters to 1,500 meters. At the World Championships the morning session includes preliminary heats while the evening one features semi-finals and finals. Based on the results of preliminary heats, athletes with the best time advance to the next stage.
In case of longer distances and relays, 8 participants showing the best competitive time in preliminary heats qualify for the finals, which are on the same day, except for the 800m and 1,500m where events are held on the following day. In the 50m, 100m and 200m events the 16 fastest swimmers from the preliminaries qualify to the semi-finals. The eight fastest swimmers of the semis go through to the finals conducted on the following day.
History
The history of swimming dates back to the Stone Age, becoming an organised sports discipline in the early 19th century.
Prehistoric man learned to swim in order to cross rivers and lakes – we know this because cave paintings from the Stone Age depicting swimmers have been found in Egypt. Swimming was also referred to in Greek mythology.
Swimming was not widely practiced until the early 19th century, when the National Swimming Society of Great Britain began to hold competitions. Most early swimmers used breaststroke style or its variations.
FINA History
In 1908, the world swimming association Federation Internationale de Natation des Amateurs (FINA) was formed. The aquatics discipline of swimming has been the core component of every edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships since its introduction in 1973. The number of events contested for at each edition of the championships has grown steadily through the years. In 1973, 29 events were swum: 15 events for men and 14 events for women. In 2015, the combined number of events for men and women including long course and open water events was 49, a drastic increase compared to the first edition. Historically, 50 different events were contested at 16 editions of the championships.
Number of events : 42
Equipment : starting block, lane ropes
Gear : swimwear, cap, goggles
Competiton venue : NAMBU UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL AQUATICS CENTER
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