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Woman's World
Men Can Now Compete in Artistic Swimming in the Paris 2024 Olympics, Plus What You Need to Know About The Sport
By Courtney Shapiro,
2 days ago
Artistic swimming isn’t just for the ladies anymore. For the first time in Olympic history, men are allowed to be part of the artistic swimming teams in the 2024 Paris summer Olympics. The sport combines water acrobatics with music and this year, new rules are in place. Curious about what this change means for the sport? Keep reading to learn more about artistic swimming, the new rules and how male athletes may be involved.
Men can now compete in artistic swimming in the Olympics
Male artistic swimming athletes finally have their chance to compete in the Olympics. The Associated Press reported the news during the World Aquatics Championship in July of 2023.
The new rules state that up to two men per country can participate in the team competition rounding out to a total of eight athletes per team. However, the 96 athletes from 18 different countries were all women this year.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity for the sport to grow and attract more men,” American synchronized swimmer Billy May told the Associated Press at the World Aquatics Championships. “By keeping men out you’re limiting the sport. By including men you’re going to see an upshift in the popularity and the numbers.”
The event was previously introduced during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and only women were permitted to be on the team. Men took part in lower-level competitions but had not been allowed to earn a spot on any Olympic-level teams.
See the viral video of Ballard's comments about the female athletes and how the internet responded
How will this change artistic swimming?
Adam Pretty / Staff
Not only are athletes judged on how well they perform, but their presentation including hair and makeup and uniform is also critiqued. With men joining the teams, the evolution of the sport allows for a more athletic and gritty focus based on talent instead of appearance.
Artistic swimming also involves tricks known as elements where some swimmers are lifted and flung and others flip and twist, all without ever touching the bottom of the pool. The current teams have incorporated strength training and conditioning into their pre-swimming rituals to perfect these movements. When men eventually get picked for the teams, the hope is that they’ll take the elements aspect to the next level.
What’s the difference between artistic swimming and synchronized swimming?
What you may not realize is that artistic swimming and synchronized swimming are the same sport. The name was changed after the 2016 Summer Olympics by World Aquatics, international swimming’s governing body.
Synchronized swimming was the title until 2020 because the U.S. synchronized swimming organization didn’t change it until then.
What’s involved in artistic swimming?
The sport involves a mix of tricks or elements, water acrobatics and music. The key is that the swimmers synchronize their movements to the music and not to other swimmers. There are also certain times when several athletes are underwater and performing routines while holding their breath.
Another new rule this year is that each routine must have a required number of various movements, known as elements. According to NBC Olympics, “There are three types of elements: technical required elements, free hybrid elements, and acrobatic elements. The mandatory total number and distribution of elements depends on the type of routine.”
The types of routines include duet technical, duet free, team technical, team free and team acrobatic. Athletes are scored on choreography and musicality, performance and transitions when being judged. Additionally, each routine has different time limits and expectations regarding difficulty levels.
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