2.1 SWIMMING 19 Roman Gaius Maecenas, Emperor Augustus s counsellor and protector of artists, is said to have built the first heated swimming pool in the 1st century BC. The reason why swimming was almost abandoned during the Middle Ages was the fear that it contributed to the spread of infections and diseases. Can you think of another edition of the Olympic Games in which swimmers competed in the Seine River? At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, thanks to a particular type of bodysuit then accepted by FINA, swimmers broke 25 world records, which was called technological doping . Fearing that these particular bodysuits increased the swimmers true abilities, FINA banned them at the beginning of 2010. HOW SWIMMING BECAME A SPORT Early evidence of swimming Archaeological evidence shows that swimming has been practised since 2500 BC in Egypt as well as in Assyrian, Greek, and Roman civilisations. In Greece and Rome in particular, swimming was a part of martial training and elementary education for young boys. Historical records report occasional swimming competitions were organised in Greece, while Romans had been building swimming pools since the 1st century BC . Some more history After some centuries in which there is almost no evidence of swimming , in the 19th century it started again, both for recreational purposes and as a sport. The first swimming championship was held in Australia in 1846. From 1882 to 1889, national swimming federations were formed in several European countries. In the United States, swimming was first nationally organised as a sport by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) founded in 1888. The F d ration Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) was founded in 1909; since 2023 it has changed its name to World Aquatics. The birth of swimming competitions buoyancy: galleggiamento competitive: agonistico fabric: tessuto record: documento stroke: bracciata swimwear: abbigliamento per nuoto touchpad: piastra tattile 42 TO GO The water is your friend. Alexandr Popov Competitive swimming was included in the modern Olympic Games from their first edition in 1896. At the beginning, Olympic competitions were only for men; moreover, they were not organised in pools, but in the open sea. For example, swimmers in the 1,200 metres freestyle competition at the 1896 Olympics were deposited by a boat in the waters of the Mediterranean at the required distance from the shore. In the 1900 edition, which took place in Paris, swimming competitions were done in the River Seine . Women s swimming competitions were added in the 1912 Games edition. Technological development in swimming The development of international competitions led to the invention and use of technological innovations to improve swimming practice and training, such as: cameras for the underwater study of strokes, which enable swimmers and trainers to do specific work to improve swimming performances; electrically operated touchpads, which allow measurements of swimmers performances to the hundredth of a second without the risk of human error; advances in the making of swimsuits, which have become more and more high-tech, made of fabrics which increase buoyancy and decrease water resistance .