Synchronized swimming


Synchronized swimming, also known as artistic swimming, is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by World Aquatics. It has traditionally been a women's sport, although FINA introduced a new mixed-gender duet competition that included one male swimmer in each duet at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and European Aquatics introduced men's individual events at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships. From 2024, men are able to compete in the team event at the Olympics.
Synchronized swimming has been part of the Summer Olympics program since 1984, featuring both women's duet and team events. In 2017, under the instruction of the International Olympic Committee, FINA renamed the sport from "synchronized swimming" to "artistic swimming" – a decision that has faced controversy. The new official name has yet to gain general acceptance beyond the core of the sport.
In 2022, the synchronized-swimming rules were overhauled to reduce subjectivity in judging. This change brings the sport's rules closer to the sport of artistic gymnastics and also figure skating.

Routine

Routines are composed of elements and transitions. Under World Aquatics rules, they are from two to three minutes long, with competition category determining routine length. There is a penalty for touching the bottom of the pool during the routine. Swimmers are synchronized to each other and to the music. Routines are judged on execution and artistic impression and a pre-determined degree of difficulty. The degree of difficulty is declared prior to performing, and may decrease in the final score if athletes fail to complete the declared movements. Each routine has a coach card, where the elements and their difficulty are declared in order of performance.

Elements

There are three types of elements: hybrid, acrobatic, and technical required element. Each category of routine has a certain number of elements which must be performed. Elements have a difficulty score which is declared prior to the routine's performance. If the element is not performed as it is declared, the element will receive a base mark, reducing its difficulty to its base value. A panel of judges scores each element for execution, which is multiplied by the difficulty of the element, making it a significant loss to the routine's score if an element receives a base mark.

Hybrids

A hybrid is a combination of leg movements, with the head and torso underneath the water. It is defined as five or more movements performed with the head underneath the hips. A hybrid consists of skills, with each skill having a difficulty value determined by World Aquatics. The difficulty of the skills is added to the base value to get the declared difficulty. An example of how a hybrid could receive a base mark would be if a skill with a 360 degree spin is declared, but the swimmer doesn't spin the full amount.

Acrobatic

An acrobatic is a movement where one or more swimmers are lifted out the water by their teammates. They are also referred to as lifts or highlights.

Technical required element (TRE)

A technical required element is a predetermined movement that must be performed in a technical routine. They are visually similar to hybrids, but will stay the same across routines in the same category. The required elements vary in different categories, so teams and duets and solos all have different required elements.

Technical and free routines

Technical routines include technical required elements and are shorter than free routines. They also include free hybrids and acrobatics, but the majority of the elements performed are technical elements. A free routine does not include technical required elements, only hybrids and acrobatics. Free routines allow for more creativity and innovation in choreography. Younger categories of competition will compete in figures competitions, performing predetermined movements outside of a routine, rather than technical routines.

Acrobatic movements

A acrobatic movement, also referred to as a lift or highlight, is when an athlete is propelled out of the water with the assistance of other swimmers. Generally, an acrobatic movement is an element in the routine, and has a degree of difficulty. Under the World Aquatics rules, there are four types of acrobatic movement:
  • Airborne: featured swimmer is lifted into the air, disconnecting from the support swimmers.
  • Balance: featured swimmer balances on a support swimmer, staying connected from exit and entrance into the water.
  • Platform: the support swimmers form a stable base or platform that the featured swimmer is lifted on. While this type will not achieve the same height the Balance, the stable base allows the featured swimmer to be lifted out of the water for longer.
  • Combined: A combination of any of the above type of acrobatic movement.

    Construction

There are varying techniques used in acrobatics. The featured swimmer, or the flyer, is the athlete who is lifted out of the water to perform poses or acrobatic movements. The featured swimmer will often need gymnastics and diving skills to perform high-difficulty acrobatics. They are supported by swimmers underneath the water who typically use eggbeater to generate the power to lift the flyer out of the water.

Olympic Games

The first Olympic demonstration of synchronized swimming was at the 1952 Olympic Games, where the Helsinki officials welcomed Katherine Curtis and lit a torch in her honour. Curtis died in 1980, but synchronized swimming did not become an official Olympic sport until the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. It was also not until 1968 that synchronized swimming became officially recognized by FINA as the fourth water sport next to swimming, platform diving and water polo.
From 1984 through 1992, the Summer Olympic Games featured solo and duet competitions, but they were both dropped in 1996 in favor of team competition. At the 2000 Olympic Games, however, the duet competition was restored and is now featured alongside the team competition. At the 2024 Olympic Games, men were included in competition for the first time. Additionally, these games included a team acrobatic routine round.

World Aquatics Championships

Synchronized swimming has been part of the World Aquatics Championships since the beginning. From 1973 through 2001, the World Aquatics Championships featured solo, duet and team competitions. In 2003, a free routine combination, comprising elements of solo, duet and team, was added. In 2005, it was renamed free combination. In 2007, solo, duet and team events were split between technical and free routines. In 2015, the mixed duet were added to the competition program. In 2019, the highlight routine was added into the competition program and it was renamed into acrobatic routine in 2023. Also in 2023, the men's solo were added to the competition program.

European Aquatics Championships

Artistic swimming is part of the program of the European Aquatics Championships from 1974. A stand alone European Aquatics Artistic Swimming Championships was incorporated into the 2023 European Games, for the first time taking place outside the larger European Aquatics Championships.

Basic skills

Sculls

Sculls are some of the most essential skills in synchronized swimming. Commonly used sculls include support scull, stationary scull, propeller scull, alligator scull, torpedo scull, split scull, barrel scull, spinning scull, totem scull, canoe scull and paddle scull. The support scull is used most often to support the body while a swimmer is performing upside down.

Eggbeater

The "eggbeater kick" is another important skill of synchronized swimming. It is a form of treading water that allows for stability and height above the water while leaving the hands free to perform arm motions. An average eggbeater height is usually around collarbone level. Eggbeater is used in all "arm" sections, a piece of choreography in which the swimmer is upright, often with one or both arms in the air. Another variation is a body boost, which is executed through an eggbeater buildup and a strong whip kick, propelling the swimmer out of the water vertically. A body boost can raise a swimmer out of the water to hip level

Positions

There are hundreds of different regular positions that can be used to create seemingly infinite combinations. These are a few basic and commonly used ones:
  • Back Layout: The most basic position. The body floats, completely straight and rigid, face-up on the surface while sculling under the hips.
  • Back Tuck Somersault: Start in a back layout position. Bring your legs into your chest and pivot yourself backwards doing a full rotation or 360. From the tuck position, extend your legs and finish in a back layout position.
  • Ballet Leg: Beginning in a back layout, one leg is extended and held perpendicular to the body, while the other is held parallel to the surface of the water.
  • Bent Knee : While holding a vertical body position, one leg remains vertical while the other leg bends so that its toe is touching the knee of the vertical leg.
  • Crane : While holding a vertical body position, one leg remains vertical while the other is dropped parallel to the surface, making a 90-degree angle or "L" shape. More specifically, a crane position requires the 90-degree angle in the legs, while a fishtail requires the bottom foot to be at the surface which may or may not create a 90-degree angle in the legs depending on height.
  • Double Ballet Leg: Similar to ballet leg position where both legs are extended and held perpendicular to the body.
  • Flamingo: Similar to ballet leg position where bottom leg is pulled into the chest so that the shin of the bottom leg is touching the knee of the vertical leg, while remaining parallel to the surface of the water.
  • Front Layout: Much like a Back Layout, the only difference is that the swimmer is on his/her stomach, sculling by his/her chest, and not breathing.
  • Front Walkover: Begin in a front layout position. Scull downwards into a pike position. Lift one leg vertically into a crane position. Lower that same leg into a split position. Lift the remaining leg vertically into a knight position. Lower the remaining leg and scull above your head into a back layout position.
  • Knight: The body is in a surface arch position, where the legs are flat on the surface, and the body is arched so that the head is vertically in line with the hips. One leg is lifted, creating a vertical line perpendicular to the surface.
  • Side Fishtail: Side fishtail is a position which one leg remains vertical, while the other is extended out to the side parallel to the water, creating a side "Y" position.
  • Split Position: With the body vertical, one leg is stretched forward along the surface and the other extended back along the surface, in an upside down split position.
  • Tower: Start in a front layout position. Scull downwards into a pike position. Lift one leg vertically into a crane position. Lift the other leg into a vertical position and descend into the water.
  • Tub: Both legs are pulled up to the chest with the shins and tops of the feet dry and parallel on the surface of the water.
  • Vertical: Achieved by holding the body completely straight upside down and perpendicular to the surface usually with both legs entirely out of water.
The International Olympic Committee has further described the technical positions.