Sport and Games Atlas

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Aquatic Sports

Sports contested in or on water where the athlete's own body is the means of propulsion, covering swimming and water polo. Belongs here: disciplines whose competitive action happens in the water itself. Does not belong here: sports where a boat or craft is the means of propulsion, grouped under Water and Boat Sports.

Facts
Comparison
Era of Origin
1908 1
Defining Characteristic
World Aquatics currently governs competition in six disciplines: swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming. 1
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: World Aquatics
Wikipedia
  • World Aquatics, Founding and early years (1896-1945) section
    On 19 July 1908, delegates from eight national federations, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary and Sweden, met for around four-and-a-half hours at the Manchester Hotel in London and agreed to form a "world-wide swimming association".
  • World Aquatics, Name and disciplines section
    World Aquatics currently governs competition in six disciplines: swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are rowing and sailing not classified under Aquatic Sports?

Rowing and sailing sit under Water and Boat Sports because a boat, not the athlete's body, provides propulsion there.

Aquatic Sports in this atlas covers sports contested in or on water where the athlete's own body is the means of propulsion, such as swimming and water polo. Rowing and sailing are grouped separately under Water and Boat Sports because in those sports a boat or craft, not the athlete's own body, provides propulsion.