Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The swimming competitions at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens took place from 14 to 21 August 2004 at the Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre in Marousi. It featured 32 events (16 male, 16 female), a total of 937 swimmers from 152 nations, and the program's changes instituted in the previous Games, including notably the three-phase format (heats, semifinals, and final) for all short-distance races (200 metres and under).[1][2]
| Swimming at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre |
| Dates | 14 – 21 August 2004 |
| Competitors | 937 from 152 nations |
| Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Freestyle | ||
| 50 m | men | women |
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| 800 m | women | |
| 1500 m | men | |
| Backstroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Breaststroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Butterfly | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Individual medley | ||
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| Freestyle relay | ||
| 4×100 m | men | women |
| 4×200 m | men | women |
| Medley relay | ||
| 4×100 m | men | women |
Swimmers from the United States continued to dominate the medal tally with a total of 28, earning twelve golds, nine silver, and seven bronze.[3] Australia still maintained the second spot from Sydney in 2000, but produced a total of 15 more medals (seven golds, five silver, and three bronze) to its historical hardware in swimming.[4][5] Meanwhile, Japan moved from behind to third overall in the medal board with eight medals after a sterling breaststroke double from Kosuke Kitajima. A total of eight world records and twenty-five Olympic records were set during the competition.
Venue
Swimming events at the 2004 Summer Olympics were held at the Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre, officially known as the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (OCO) during the games.[6] Originally built for the 1991 Mediterranean Games,[7] it was refurbished to host swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo events; it was the first time in the history of the Olympics that all aquatics disciplines had been held at a single venue.[6][8] Swimming events were held at the main outdoor pool of the complex, which held 10,893 spectators, and was interchangeably used for swimming and water polo events throughout the duration of the games.[8] A plastic-coated tarpaulin roof covering the two outdoor pools of the complex, designed to protect spectators and swimmers from being exposed to the summer heat, was originally planned to be built as part of the renovations.[7][8] However, due to cost overruns and delays in construction, planners decided to scrap the roof in March 2004,[9][10] which was criticised by FINA, the governing body of water sports.[7][8] The venue would ultimately be approved by FINA weeks before the opening of the games in August.[7]
Events
The following events were contested (all pool events were long course, and distances are in metres unless stated):
- Freestyle : 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 (women) and 1500 (men);
- Backstroke : 100 and 200;
- Breaststroke : 100 and 200;
- Butterfly : 100 and 200;
- Individual medley : 200 and 400;
- Relays: 4×100 free, 4×200 free, and 4×100 medley.
Schedule
| H | Heats | ½ | Semifinals | F | Final |
| Date → | Aug 14 | Aug 15 | Aug 16 | Aug 17 | Aug 18 | Aug 19 | Aug 20 | Aug 21 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event ↓ | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 50 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 100 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 400 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 1500 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 100 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 100 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 100 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m individual medley | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 400 m individual medley | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 4×100 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 4×200 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 4×100 m medley relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| Date → | Aug 14 | Aug 15 | Aug 16 | Aug 17 | Aug 18 | Aug 19 | Aug 20 | Aug 21 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event ↓ | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 50 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 100 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 400 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 800 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 100 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 100 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 100 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 200 m individual medley | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||
| 400 m individual medley | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 4×100 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 4×200 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||
| 4×100 m medley relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||
Participating nations
A total of 937 swimmers (544 men and 393 women) from 152 nations would compete in swimming events at these Olympic Games.[12] Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Guyana, and Turkmenistan made their official debut in swimming. Meanwhile, Albania, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Norway returned to the sport after long years of absence. Nations with swimmers at the Games are (team size in parentheses):
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Medal summary
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 12 | 9 | 7 | 28 |
| 2 | | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 4 | | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 7 | | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 10 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 14 | | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 16 | | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 19 | | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (20 nations) | 32 | 32 | 33 | 97 | |
Results
Men's events
* Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Women's events
* Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.
References
- "USA Today 2004 Olympic Coverage: Swimming Format and Schedule". USA Today. 20 May 2005. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- "Athens 2004: Volume Two – Aquatics (Swimming)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. pp. 9–27. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- "U.S. adds another relay gold". ESPN. 22 August 2004. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- Gordos, Phil (21 August 2004). "Phelps causes biggest splash". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- "Australian team expects world swimming titles to close door on culture of drug abuse, bullying and bad behaviour". The Australian. 29 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- Olympic Games staff (11 February 2004). "ATHENS 2004: 12 water polo teams qualified". Olympic Games. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
For the first time in Olympic Games history, all aquatics events will take place in a single venue, the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (OCO).
- Commings, Jeff (27 July 2012). "Olympic Pools: Where Are They Now? (Part Five)". Swimming World. Sports Publications International. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
Like the Sydney pool, the Athens competition pool was not built for the Games. It had been around for more than a decade, hosting the 1991 Mediterranean Games. But the heat was a concern, and organizers had planned to put a roof on the building as part of the renovation plans. Money fell through, and the roof was not built, much to the initial chagrin of FINA, which would later approve the facility mere weeks before Michael Phelps and others claimed gold.
- BBC Sport staff (15 July 2004). "Olympics 2004 - Venues Guide - Aquatic Center". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
For the first time in Olympic history, all the aquatics events [...] will take place at one venue. [...] Progress on its construction fell way behind schedule. Organisers finally decided in March to scrap a planned plastic-coated tarpaulin roof over the main pool. That decision will leave swimmers exposed to searing August temperatures, to the dismay of swimming's ruling body Fina. [...] Spectators: Main pool 10,893
- Stevens, Richard (31 March 2004). "Athens costs set to soar over budget". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
Earlier this month officials cancelled a much delayed plastic roof for the swimming venue.
- Muriel, Diana (6 May 2004). "Athens in race against time". CNN. Time Warner Inc. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
The roof of the Olympic swimming pool had to be abandoned.
- "BBC 2004 Olympic Coverage: Swimming Schedule". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- "Athens 2004: Swimming – Entry List by NOC" (PDF). Athens 2004. LA84 Foundation. pp. 2–23. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
