Sports
Swimming
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Swimming as a human activity is ancient and undocumented at any single origin point, depicted in Stone Age rock art and practiced in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Organized competitive swimming in the modern sense is a much later and better documented development: the National Swimming Society began organizing swimming competitions in London from 1837 onward, generally taken as the start of the sport as an organized competition rather than simply a widespread human skill.
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Origin Year1837 marks the start of organized competitive swimming in London under the National Swimming Society, taken here as the sport organized origin. Swimming itself as a human activity is far older and effectively undocumented at any single origin point, practiced across many ancient cultures including Egypt, Greece and Rome, so 1837 answers only the question of when organized competition began, not when people first swam competitively. Originating RegionPrehistoric and ancient practice worldwide; organized competition begins in England 1 International Governing BodyWorld Aquatics, founded 1908 as the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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