The unique Artistic Swimming Olympics sport, which combines acrobatics in water with music, will hold its first event on Monday at 1:30 PM ET at the Olympic Aquatics Center. The team competition features three routines: a technical routine, a free routine, and an acrobatic routine. The duet competition includes one technical routine and one free routine. This will be the first time an acrobatic routine is included.
According to NBC Olympics, the United States will perform seventh out of ten countries in the technical routine to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.”
A panel of judges scores the athletes based on their execution, synchronization, degree of difficulty, use of music, and choreography. Athletes in artistic swimming must be incredibly flexible and meticulously coordinated to flawlessly execute their routines.
Anita Alvarez, a two-time American Olympian who nearly drowned in 2022, says that while athletes make their routines look effortless, training for artistic swimming is grueling. “We train for over eight hours a day, in the water all day long,” she said. “You have to be able to count time and work with the music. You have to be able to see your patterns and stay in line. When we compete, we don’t wear goggles. You’re holding your breath. You don’t touch the bottom. There are so many elements involved that people don’t see.”
Artistic swimming Olympics schedule:
| Date | Event | Time (ET) |
| August 5 | Team technical routine | 1:30p-3:00p |
| August 6 | Team free routine | 1:30p-3:00p |
| August 7 | Team acrobatic routine | 1:30p-3:15p |
| August 9 | Duet technical routine | 1:30p-3:30p |
| August 10 | Duet free routine | 1:30p-4:00p |
| Artistic Swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics | ||
Since artistic swimming became an Olympic discipline at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, only women have been allowed to participate. However, in 2022, the sport’s governing body revised its rules to permit up to two male athletes per nation to compete in the team discipline. While it was anticipated that the first male athletes would compete in artistic swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympics, none of the 10 participating teams have included any male athletes.
North American countries, especially the USA and Canada, initially achieved significant success in artistic swimming on the Olympic stage. However, since the 2000 Sydney Games, Russia (including ROC) has dominated the sport, winning every gold medal in both disciplines. This streak will be interrupted due to the IOC’s decision related to the ongoing war in Ukraine, rendering Russia ineligible to enter a team or duet in Paris.
For the first time since Beijing 2008, the United States will compete in both the duet and team events at the Paris Games. Click here to read more sports news.
