swimming
Japanese Name:
水泳
Romaji Name:
suiei
Description
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Swimming is a sport and activity where people move through water using their arms and legs. It is done for exercise, competition, or recreation and includes various styles like freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly.
History
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Swimming is one of the oldest human activities, with evidence dating back over 10,000 years. Ancient cave paintings in Egypt and depictions in Greek and Roman art show people swimming, often using strokes similar to modern breaststroke.
In ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China, swimming was both a military and leisure activity. The Greeks and Romans even included swimming in their education systems.
However, organized swimming as a sport began much later. In the early 19th century, swimming clubs started appearing in England, and the first indoor swimming pool was built in London in 1828.
Swimming became increasingly popular in Europe, and competitive swimming was officially introduced in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 (men's events only). Women's swimming events were added in 1912.