The sport of diving entails performing a variety of acrobatic and gymnastic manoeuvres while plunging headfirst into the water. In the early 19th century, European gymnasts began practising a more complex and acrobatic style of diving, which would later become popular as a competitive sport.
It was initially included in the Olympic Games’ swimming programme in 1904 and had remarkable growth in the first half of the 20th century. In 2000, the sport of synchronised diving—in which teams of two divers perform dives in unison—made its Olympic debut.
In the 19th century, gymnasts performing into water in Sweden and Germany inspired the sport of diving as a celebration of acrobatics and elegance. The Amateur Diving Association was established in 1901 after a group of Swedish divers visited Great Britain at the tail end of the 19th century to give demonstrations.
A Quick Review of the Regulations
This sport features two events in the Olympic Games: the 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter high-dive. While the high dive is performed from a stationary platform ten metres above the sea, the 3-meter springboard allows divers to soar much higher into the air. Both low and high levels host solo and team events.
A dive’s score is determined by a number of factors, such as the difficulty of the dive and the diver’s ability to execute the dive’s entry into the water and the underwater portion of the dive. When judging synchronised diving, judges also look at how well one diver mimics the other.
Olympic Origins and Development
Diving was quickly incorporated into the Olympic schedule, making its debut at the 1904 St. Louis Games. The inaugural Olympic Games for women were held in 1912, and synchronised swimming was added in 2000.
When diving was first included in the Olympics in 1904, the United States immediately became dominant. These days, China is more dominant than the West; they took home seven of the eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Destinations for the Year 2024
The dates for the diving competitions at Paris 2024 are the 27th of July through the 10th of August.
- 3m springboard (women’s / men’s)
- 10m platform (women’s / men’s)
- Synchronized 3m springboard (women’s / men’s)
- Synchronized 10m platform (women’s / men’s)