SWIMMING

HISTORY
Swimming can be dated back to the Stone Age, but did not truly become an organised sport until
the early 19th century.
AN ANCIENT DISCIPLINE
Prehistoric man learnt to swim in order to cross rivers and lakes we know this because cave
paintings from the Stone Age depicting swimmers have been found in Egypt. Swimming was
also referred to in Greek mythology.
DAWN OF A SPORT
Swimming was not widely practised until the early 19th century, when the National Swimming
Society of Great Britain began to hold competitions. Most early swimmers used the breaststroke,
or a form of it.
DISCOVERING THE CRAWL
Based on a stroke used by native South Americans, the first version of the crawl featured a
scissor kick. In the late 1880s, an Englishman named Frederick Cavill travelled to the South
Seas, where he saw the natives performing a crawl with a flutter kick. Cavill settled in Australia,
where he taught the stroke that was to become the famous Australian crawl.
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Swimming has featured on the programme of all editions of the Games since 1896. The very first
Olympic events were freestyle (crawl) or breaststroke. Backstroke was added in 1904.

In the 1940s, breaststrokers discovered that they could go faster by bringing both arms forward
over their heads. This practice was immediately forbidden in breaststroke, but gave birth to
butterfly, whose first official appearance was at the 1956 Games in Melbourne. This style is now
one of the four strokes used in competition.
Womens swimming became Olympic in 1912 at the Stockholm Games. Since then, it has been
part of every edition of the Games. The mens and womens programmes are almost identical, as
they contain the same number of events, with only one difference: the freestyle distance is 800
metres for women and 1,500 metres for men.
Swimming

Rules

&

Regulations

Four strokes, or styles of swimming, are contested at swimming meets: freestyle, backstroke,
breaststroke, and butterfly. Swimmers race a variety of distances, ranging from 25 yards or
meters to 1600 yards. Each stroke has specific rules as to how swimmers may propel themselves
through

the

water.

Freestyle
Freestyle, often called the crawl, is the most flexible in its rules, and it is typically the fastest
stroke. The only rules are that the swimmer may not push off the bottom of the pool or pull on
the lane line, and must touch the far wall with some part of their body. Otherwise, swimmers
may use any type of stroke. Freestyle is swum face-down with alternating arm strokes; sidebreathing; and rapid, alternating up-and-down kicks. Freestyle races begin with swimmers doing
forward-facing dives from either a starting block or the side of the pool. In multi-lap races,
swimmers can do either an open turn or a flip turn. When doing a flip turn, the swimmer does not
touch the wall with his/her hand. Instead, the swimmers feet touch the wall. At the finish,

freestyle

swimmers

touch

with

one

hand.

Backstroke
Backstroke is often thought of as upside-down freestyle. As in freestyle, backstroke is swum
with alternating arm strokes and rapid, alternating, up-and-down kicks. Unlike freestyle, the
swimmer must be on his/her back, facing the sky. When swimmers turn their shoulders more
than 90 degrees, they are disqualified from the race for not remaining on their backs. The only
exception to this rule applies to the flip turn in multi-lap backstroke races: Swimmers may turn
onto their stomachs for one arm pull, provided their arm movement is continuous. When their
feet leave the wall, swimmers must be on their backs. Backstroke races start with swimmers
already in the water. Swimmers place their feet against the wall, and hold onto either the gutter
or the grip built into the starting block. At the finish of the race, backstroke swimmers must stay
on their backs until they touch the wall, ideally with one hand.
Breastroke
Breastroke is often thought of as the frog stroke, as the kick is reminiscent of a frogs kick. A
breaststroke swimmers arms and legs must move simultaneously, on the same horizontal plane,
and identically to each other. The arms and legs stay mostly underwater, but a swimmers head
must break the surface every stroke. So-called scissor kicks are not allowed. The arm stroke
begins and ends in streamline position. The hands scoop water out to the sides, before sweeping
in toward the middle of the body and then shooting forward. Swimmers are not allowed to pull
their hands down past their hips, and must keep their elbows in the water when their hands are
shooting forward. On the breastroke kick, swimmers must point their toes out to the side as the

feet sweep out, around, and back together. For every arm stroke there must be one, and only one,
kick.
Breaststroke races begin with a forward-facing dive from either the edge of the pool or the
starting block. At the beginning of each lap, swimmers may do one pull-down: one huge pull, in
which the hands sweep down to the thighs, and one giant kick to the surface. On the first stroke
after the pull-down, a swimmers head must break the surface of the water. Todays swimmers
are also allowed to do one dolphin/butterfly kick in the first part of the pull-down, before the first
breastroke kick. At the end of each lap of a breaststroke race, swimmers must touch with two
hands, simultaneously and on the same horizontal plane. In multi-lap races, swimmers will use
open

turns,

not

flip

turns.

Butterfly
Butterfly emerged as a new stroke in the 1950s, as swimmers were trying to find ways to swim
breastroke faster. The two primary innovations were the double over-the-water arm recovery, and
the dolphin kick. Butterfly is swum with an undulating, dolphin-like movement at the surface of
the water. The arms pull underwater simultaneously, and recover over the water, also
simultaneously. Both hands must come out of the water at the same time on every stroke. During
each arm pull, swimmers do two dolphin kicks, one when the hands enter the water, and one
when the hands exit the water. A swimmers feet must kick up and down together, ideally with
the feet kept close together. While the vast majority of swimmers lift the head and shoulders to
breathe, some swimmers breathe to the side, as in freestyle. Butterfly races begin with a forwardfacing dive, and swimmers must finish each lap by touching the wall with two hands
simultaneously, on the same horizontal plane. At the beginning of each lap, swimmers will do
underwater dolphin kicks, but must break the surface of the water with their head at or before 15

meters. In multi-lap races, swimmers will do open turns, as opposed to flip turns.
Individual Medley Events
The individual medley, or IM (pronounced eye-em), is a race in which the swimmers swim
each stroke for one-fourth the total distance of the race. During each portion of the event,
swimmers must swim the strokes legally. For example, swimmers must finish the butterfly and
breaststroke laps with two-hand-touches and finish the backstroke lap on their backs. They must
also swim the strokes in this order: butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, freestyle. IM events begin
with

forward-facing

dive.

Relays
In a relay, four swimmers compete as a team. A swimmer may swim only once in a relay, and
must swim one-fourth the total distance of the race. In a freestyle relay, all swimmers swim
freestyle. In a medley relay, each swimmer swims a different stroke. In a medley relay the
strokes must be swum in this order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. Freestyle relays
begin with a forward-facing dive, while medley relays begin with a backstroke start. All the other
swimmers in a relay can begin with a rolling start, provided they do not leave the blocks before
their teammate touches the wall. (In a rolling start, swimmers stand at the back of the starting
block, and generate momentum by swinging their arms, and taking a step to the front of the
block.)

Facilities and equipment of swimming

Pool (25 yd. or m), suit, goggles, swim cap, towel
waterbottle ,fins ,pull buoy, kick board ,paddles .

ATHLETICS
History
Athletics has been the heart and soul of Summer Olympics since its birth in 1896. Modern
summer games now constitute of road running events, track and field events and race walking
events. Though cross-country running was earlier a part of the Olympics, it was dropped after the
Summer Olympics in 1924. After short race walk was incorporated in 1952 Summer Games, no
new sport has been added to the athletics programme. Though the early six editions saw the team
racing events, athletic triathlon and pentathlon was later replaced by decathlon and medley relay
was replaced by even-leg relays. A few standing jump competitions and throwing events, which
made an experimental visit in 1908 and 1912, were removed entirely in the remaining versions.
Athletics

Rules

And

Regulations

Running Events
From the firing of the starters gun to breasting the finishing tape, an athlete is expected to
adhere strictly to some basic rules like he/she must always start behind the start line and must
remain in lane throughout the race.
Jumping the gun can lead to disqualification from the game. Running before the starters gun is
fired is declared as a false start and can eventually lead to disqualification, if the runner faults
twice. Sometimes, athletes are warned before being disqualified.
If a runner tries to impede a fellow athletes progress by blocking, shoving or interfering to gain
unfair advantage, he/she is disqualified from the game.

A runner must always wear sneakers or athletic shoes during the game.
In shorter events such as in 800 meters race, athletes should stay inside the lane. In longer events,
they are allowed to move to the innermost lanes with a condition that they should not touch the
other participants.
Throwing Events
In throwing events like javelin, hammer throw and short put, an athlete is expected to aim farther
than anybody else. Just like the jumping events, only the longest throw counts here.
Javelin is the only event that allows the participant to run. The participants dart through a runway
of 30 meters before pitching their javelin.
In shot put, discus and hammer throw, athletes are allowed to spin their object within a predefined circle to create momentum before lobbing. A six millimetres wide iron band trimmed in
white encircles the area. Touching the top of the iron band or the ground outside while hurling
can lead to disqualification. Also, there is a wooden stop board at the front to keep athletes from
slewing out of the circle. Athletes can hit the board, but touching the top of the board may lead to
disqualification.
In all throwing events, the object lobbed must land within a specified area.
Jumping Events
In jumping events, the athletes run through a runway and as high as possible. However, the rules
vary according to the events.

Mots jumping events have a sand pit or a pad to enable the athlete land easily after the jump. The
foot of the athlete should not touch the ground before the jump, or else its declared a scratch
and earns him zero points. The length of the jump is measured from the line to the point where
foot touches the ground.
If the athletes happen to fall back after landing, the distance measured is to the contact point. The
athletes are given three ties or chances and the best try is counted.
The same rules apply to vertical jump events like high jump and pole vault, except for the way
the distance is measured here. A height goal marked by a bar is set by the athlete and if cleared,
they score for the specific round. Some events allow three chances to the athletes, while some
other events allow the athletes to keep trying on higher bars until they fail.
Facilities and equipment of athletics
All-weather running track
Garmin Forerunner

Hurdling

Inertial footpod

Mechanics of Oscar Pistorius' running blades

Panhandle track

Running shorts

Smart shoe

Starting blocks

Starting pistol

Tousse

Track spikes

Badminton
History
In the 5th century BC, the people in china then played a game calledti jian zi. A direct translation
from this word 'ti jian zi' is kicking the shuttle. As the name suggest, the objective of the game is
to keep the shuttle from hitting the ground without using hand. Whether this sport has anything
to do with the History of Badminton is up for debate. It was however the first game that uses a
Shuttle.

About five centuries later, a game named Battledore and Shuttlecock was played in china, Japan,
India and Greece. This is a game where you use the Battledore (a paddle) to hit the Shuttlecock
back and forth. By the 16th century, it has become a popular game among children in England. In
Europe this game was known as jeu de volant to them. In the 1860s, a game named Poona was
played in India. This game is much like the Battledore and Shuttlecock but with an added net.
The British army learned this game in India and took the equipments back to England during the
1870s.

In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort held a lawn party in his country place, Badminton. A game of
Poona was played on that day and became popular among the British society's elite. The new
party sport became known as "the Badminton game". In 1877, the Bath Badminton Club was
formed and developed the first official set of rules.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed in 1934 with 9 founding members.

- England
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Wales
- Denmark
- Holland
- Canada
- New Zealand
- France

Since then, major international tournaments like the Thomas Cup (Men) and Uber Cup (Women)
were held. Badminton was officially granted Olympic status in the 1992 Barcelona Games. From
9 founding members, IBF now have over 150 member countries. The future of Badminton looks
bright indeed.
Rules and regulation
The Laws of Badminton and Competition Regulations in the BWF Statutes provide the detail on
every aspect of the game of badminton.
Below is a brief overview - simplified rules.
Scoring System
A match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.

Every time there is a serve there is a point scored.

The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.
At 20 all, the side which gains a 2 point lead first, wins that game.
At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point, wins that game.
The side winning a game serves first in the next game.
Interval and Change of Ends
When the leading score reaches 11 points, players have a 60 second interval.
A 2 minute interval between each game is allowed.
In the third game, players change ends when the leading score reaches 11 points.
Singles
At the beginning of the game (0-0) and when the servers score is even, the server serves from
the right service court. When the servers score is odd, the server serves from the left service
court.
If the server wins a rally, the server scores a point and then serves again from the alternate
service court.
If the receiver wins a rally, the receiver scores a point and becomes the new server. They serve
from the appropriate service court left if their score is odd, and right if it is even.

Doubles

A side has only one service.

The service passes consecutively to the players as shown in the diagram.
At the beginning of the game and when the score is even, the server serves from the right service
court. When it is odd, the server serves from the left court.
If the serving side wins a rally, the serving side scores a point and the same server serves again
from the alternate service court.
If the receiving side wins a rally, the receiving side scores a point. The receiving side becomes
the new serving side.
The players do not change their respective service courts until they win a point when their side is
serving.
If players commit an error in the service court, the error is corrected when the mistake is
discovered.
Badminton Equipment & Facilities
Different versions of badminton have been played for centuries, but it was the game of "Poona"
in India that was the basis for the game of badminton we play today. In the 1860's a group of
stationed British army officers learned the game and took it back with them from India. The
game grew in popularity until 1895 when the Badminton Association of England was formed,
along with the rules of game play that are used around the world even today. In order to play this
form of badminton, certain equipment and facilities are needed.
Racket

The badminton racket is one of the most important tools a player has in the game. Badminton
rackets are much lighter than most other sports rackets because they are made from materials
such as carbon fiber or lighter metals such as aluminum. Parts of the racket include the head,
throat, shaft and handle with a maximum length of 27.77 inches and a width of 9 inches. It
Strings that are stretched across the opening of the racket in a checkerboard pattern, which acts
as the hitting surface. Badminton rackets can vary widely in cost depending on whether they are
purchased as part of a basic backyard set or as more expensive professional models.
Shuttlecock
The badminton shuttlecock, also referred to as a shuttle or birdie, acts similarly to a ball in other
racket sports. However, the design of the birdie creates more drag as it is propelled through the
air due to its feathered shape. The shuttlecock is made up of a cone shape with a hard cork at its
tip. Shuttlecocks can be made from a variety of materials -- more expensive models are actually
made from feathers, and less expensive models are made from plastic feathers. The shuttle has 16
feathers attached to the base and the length of the feathers range between 2.44 and 2.75 inches.
Net
A mesh net divides the badminton court into two sides. A badminton net is placed lower than a
volleyball net at five feet and one inch high on the sides and five feet high in the center. The
length may vary depending on whether doubles or singles are playing, with singles reaching 17
feet and doubles reaching 22 feet. The net is 30 inches wide with a 3-inch white tape doubled
over the top.
Facilities

The badminton court should be 44 feet long by 22 feet wide if playing doubles, and 44 feet long
by 17 feet wide for singles. If the facility is indoors, there needs to be enough height for the
shuttlecock to be able to float across the net without hitting the ceiling. This height will vary
depending on the strength of the players.