Olympic Games

Synchronized Swimming- History

No boys allowed

Synchro is women's exclusive domain- but men performed it first

Last Updated: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 | 10:58 PM ET

CBC Sports

Synchronized swimming actually began with male actors who staged dancing displays in the water. Women began making it a sport of their own in the early 1900s. Above, Team Italy performs in Athens 2004. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Since its emergence as a competitive sport, synchronized swimming has been the near-exclusive domain of women. Yet it was men who performed the first rudimentary manoeuvres that would form the basis of synchronized swimming.

Back in the late 19th century, synchronized swimming was known under different names - from pattern swimming to water ballet - and it was male actors who staged dancing displays in water as a form of entertainment. The first record of competition was a men's event in Berlin in 1891.

Ornamental swimming

Aqua Follies circa 1950: The Aqua Follies prepare to rehearse a new performance in their Minneapolis swimming pool. (Orlando/Three Lions/Getty Images) By the turn of the century, women had moved toward the forefront of synchronized swimming. An Australian champion swimmer, Annette Kellerman, entertained audiences with dances performed in water in New York in 1907.

In 1924, a group of Canadian women, led by national-level water polo player and diver Margaret "Peg" Seller, developed what they called "ornamental swimming" from lifesaving and swimming techniques. Within a year, rules were established and the first competitions were organized. The world's first championship was held in Montreal where Seller was crowned champion.

The sport's popularity continued to grow, especially in the U.S., after a demonstration at the 1934 World's Fair in Chicago and the subsequent popularity of Billy Rose's Aquacade at the New York World's Fair in 1939.

Esther Williams, a former teenaged swimming champion, brought synchro into the North American consciousness. She starred in countless movies in the 1940s and 1950s, performing acrobatic ballet moves in water choreographed to music. The star of Bathing Beauty and Million Dollar Mermaid said, "I was called America's mermaid because it appeared that I could stay under water indefinitely."

Competitive synchro

Team USA performs its free routine, above, at the 2004 Athens Games. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

The United States held its first national championship in 1946 with duet and team competitions, and Canada followed in 1948.

It was a demonstration sport at the 1951 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires and at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

FINA, the international federation for aquatic sports, formally sanctioned synchro in 1954. It was featured at the inaugural World Swimming Championships in 1973 in Belgrade and was added to the official Olympic program as a woman's event in 1984.

Synchronized swimming also had a solo event, which began in 1984, but was removed from the Games in 1992. While the concept raises a few eyebrows, the goal of the athlete was to perform in synch with the music.

The Case of the Sticky Finger

No history of a sport involving judging is complete without controversy, and the saga of Sylvie Frechette at the 1992 Barcelona Games provides plenty of that. On the first day of competition (the figures program) for the solo, all eyes were on Frechette, the Laval, Quebec, native who was the world champion and winner of virtually every international competition between 1988 and 1992. Frechette swam an excellent figures program, but the Brazilian judge accidentally punched in an 8.7 when she intended to record a 9.7. She called the assistant judge over, but they couldn't understand each other because of language differences, and by this time the score had already been displayed. Canada's appeal of the score was refused. As a result, despite a superb free routine, Frechette couldn't catch American Kristen Babb-Sprague and had to settle for silver.

Frechette still received a hero's welcome when she returned to Canada, while Dick Pound, Canada's representative on the IOC executive, was already at work on an appeal, which resulted in Frechette getting a share of the gold medal.

The Russians are coming

From 1984 to 1992, the two synchro events were solo and duet. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, they were both replaced by the team event. Frechette joined the Canadian team for one last Olympics. The favoured Americans eked out a narrow win over Canada for the gold, and that brought a close to North American dominance in the sport.

Up until 1998, Canada and the United States won every gold and silver medal at all major international meets. But after the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta many of their top swimmers retired, leaving both Canada and U.S. to rebuild their programs. The turnover for both programs coincided with the emergence of Russia, now the dominant force in the sport after its first world championship in 1998.

With a cultural affinity to kindred forms of physical artistry, such as figure skating and ballet, the Russians took to synchro immediately. They quickly learned from the Americans and Canadians and added the training and development principles, such as identifying talent at a very early age, which made Russia a figure skating power.

In Sydney, there were two synchro events again, since the duet was reinstated, but the U.S. was shut out of the medals, with Russia winning duet and team gold and Japan winning two silvers. Canada did win a bronze in the team event, with the most inventive routine of the competition, pantomiming a full slate of Olympic events.

Athens 2004, however, saw the Canadian team sink to a disappointing fifth place, losing to Russia (gold), Japan (silver) and the U.S. (bronze). The fall has meant that this year, the girls had to reclaim their right to compete. At a spring qualifying event in Beijing, the team placed third overall, earning a spot not only for the team, but also for Canada's pairs contingent. Isabelle Rampling and Marie Pier Boudreau-Gagnon will take to the pool for Canada in the duet event.

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