Swimming (sport)

Swimming is an individual or team racing activity that demands the athlete to utilise his or her full body to navigate through the water. The sport is played in either swimming pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Among the most widely followed Olympic sports, competitive swimming includes distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and individual medley. The relay events, which include the freestyle and medley, may be completed by four swimmers in addition to these solo competitions. A medley relay is made up of four swimmers who will each swim a different stroke, which will be in the following sequence: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle (in that order).

In order to swim each stroke properly, a certain set of methods must be used; in competition, there are strict rules on the permissible form for each individual stroke. There are other rules governing the sorts of swimsuits, headgear, jewellery, and injury tape that may be worn during contests, as well as how much of each is permitted. Despite the fact that professional swimmers might sustain a variety of ailments as a result of their activity, such as tendinitis in the shoulders or knees, there are several health advantages linked with the sport.