1.

4 History of swimming as a competitive sport

Although the origin of swimming was associated merely as leisure, it quickly

evolved into a competition even before the first Olympic Games in 1896. Swimming as a

competitive has its earliest references in Japan where swimming in schools was

ordered by the Imperial Edict of Emperor Go Yogei. The first national organization was

also formed in Japan in 1603. The first indoor swimming pool, St George's Baths, was

opened to the public in 1828. British Swimming Society then started to hold

competitions in six artificial swimming pools, built around London in 1837. Starting the

second half of the 19th century, associations were organized one after the other in the

European countries to undertake the tasks of organizing competitions. The first

swimming championship was held in Australia in 1846 and was a 440-yard (400-metre)

race. The competitive swimming became internationally eminent when it was included in

the modern Olympic Games from their inception in 1896.