City of Birmingham Swimming Club - Synchronised Swimming Section

About Synchro

Synchronised swimming was originally developed in the early 1900s in Canada. It was first demonstrated at the Olympics in 1952 and has been a recognised Olympic sport since 1984.

The sport demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater. The apparent gracefulness displayed above water masks the level of activity taking place beneath. When tested and compared with other Olympic athletes the results showed that synchro swimmers ranked second only to long distance runners in aerobic capacity, and to gymnasts in flexibility.

It used to be considered exclusively as a female sport and at Olympic and World Championship level it still is. However, young men are beginning to get involved and they now compete in mixed teams, particularly in Canada and the USA. The extra physical strength of young men enables them to enhance certain aspects of a routine such as lifts.

Synchronised swimming involves a number of disciplines: figures in which specific techniques and movements are displayed in isolation; technical routines and free routines each of which are undertaken by duets and teams.

Novices to the sport soon start to learn a variety of skills which include all the key techniques and movements that are combined in a display. Other skills which are taught from an early stage include team building and keeping time with other team members.