Synchronised swimming
Is it a sport or entertainment?
Do you think synchronised swimming is a sport or just a form of entertainment? Should it be included in the Olympic programme when sports, such as golf and rugby, don't have a place? This is a question that comes up as every new Olympiad approaches.
Synchronised swimming is perhaps the most showbiz event of the Olympics with its music, makeup and crowd-pleasing appeal, but there is more to it than what appears on the surface. Synchronised swimming demands a great deal of physical strength, determination, body control and endurance. It is a demanding fusion of swimming and gymnastics so don't be fooled by the glitz that goes with it. Amid the glamour of synchronised swimming, there is a tough discipline like everything else on the Olympic programme.
Questions
1 What does 'synchronised' mean?
a done at the same time as something else
b performed in water
2 'Showbiz' is the short form of
a show busy
b show business
How it all started and spread
Synchronised swimming is a relatively new sport and it is one of the few events contested in the Olympics only by women.
The sport itself was developed in the 1920s and made its first appearance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Synchronised swimming first became popular in Canada and then it spread to the United States where teams of female swimmers performed at water shows.
In the 1940s and 50s, synchronised swimming became very popular when film star Esther Williams appeared in a series of Hollywood movies that featured water ballet routines. At about the same time, it was developed as a competitive sport with set rules and routines. When the sport made its Olympic debut in 1984, it included solo and duet competitions. These were changed to an eight-swimmer team event in Atlanta 1992, but the duet was brought back in Sydney 2000.
In Beijing 2008, swimmers will contest both duet and team events.
Questions
3 The verb 'to contest' means
a to win
b to compete for
4 How many people take part in a duet?
Golden girl Brusnikina dazzles in the water
It all seems so effortless when you watch Russian swimmer Olga Brusnikina performing in the water. But, of course, it isn't. As she flies through the water and into the air, Brusnikina is showing a discipline that is tough and tricky and thoroughly deserves a place at the Olympics.
Brusnikina first won world applause with a dazzling routine at the World Junior Synchro Championships when she was just 14 years old. After that, there was no stopping her. She was part of the Russian team at the 1996 Olympic Games, and was disappointed when they missed out on the medals. In Sydney 2000, she and her partner won gold with straight 10s from the judges. Four years later, in Athens, Brusnikina won another gold for Russia in the team performance. Brusnikina, a synchronised swimmer since she was nine years old, is one to watch in the water in Beijing 2008.
Questions
5 'Effortless' means
a showing a lot of effort
b showing no effort
6 Which country does Olga Brusnikina represent at the Olympic Games?
Olympic fact file
Decide whether these statements are True or False and copy the true ones into your Olympic fact file.
1 Men compete against women in Olympic synchronised swimming events.
2 There will be two synchronised swimming events at the Beijing Olympics.
3 Olga Brusnikina is likely to perform in the solo synchronised swimming event at the 2008 Olympics.
4 Underwater speakers let the swimmers hear the music when they are performing under water.
5 The swimmers wear special makeup when they are performing in Olympic synchronised swimming events.
Answers
1. done at the same time as something else, 2. show business, 3. to compete for, 4. two, 5. showing no effort, 6. Russia
Fact file: 1. false, 2. true, 3. false, 4. true, 5. true
