Aquatics
Aquatics covers five water sports governed by one federation. Swimming is racing in lanes over set distances in four strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly), each on its own, in the individual medley or in relays. Diving is a set list of dives from the 3-metre springboard or the 10-metre platform, marked by judges and multiplied by each dive's difficulty. Water polo is a team game for seven players a side in the water. Artistic swimming is judged routines for solos, duets and teams. Marathon swimming is the 10-kilometre open water race.
New to aquatics? Start here
Which to watch first, and how long
Start with Swimming. Lanes, a start and a finish: the first to touch wins, and races are short.
- Swimming
- Races decided by the touch, timed to a hundredth of a second
- Diving
- Rounds of dives; the top 18 reach the semi-final and the top 12 the final
- Water polo
- Four periods of 8 minutes of playing time; the clock stops at every whistle, so a match takes far longer
- Artistic swimming
- Routines of 2 minutes (solo technical) to 3 minutes 30 seconds (team free)
- Marathon swimming
- Open-water races, 10 km at the Olympics
Lengths are from the rule book.
The big events, and why they matter
- 1Olympic Games (aquatics)The title each aquatics discipline is measured by.Every 4 years · Holder: 35 events; the United States won 8 golds; China won all 8 events; China won the duet and the team; Serbia beat Croatia 13–11 in the men's final
- 2World Aquatics ChampionshipsThe world title for every aquatics discipline at one event.Every 2 years (yearly 2022 to 2025; next Budapest 2027) · Holder: 11 events; China won the three mixed team events; 13 events; China won 9; Men's: James Lichtenstein · Women's: Rhiannan Iffland; 7 events; Florian Wellbrock won the men's 3 km…; 42 events; the United States won 9 golds; Men's: Spain · Women's: Greece
- 3Asian Games (aquatics)Asia's multi-sport title; for India often the most reachable major medal.Every 4 years · Holder: 41 events; China won 30 golds, Japan 7; China won all 10 events; Wang Zongyuan won three; China won the duet and the team; Japan beat Kazakhstan 24–7 for the men's title
- 4Commonwealth Games (aquatics)A multi-sport title against the Commonwealth nations.Every 4 years · Holder: 56 events; Australia won 37 golds; 12 events; England won 6
India
- Swimming at the Olympic Games: No medal; Indian swimmers at 14 Games from 1928
- Diving at the Olympic Games: No medal
- Artistic swimming at the Olympic Games: No medal
- Water polo at the Olympic Games: No medal; men 12th in 1948 and 21st in 1952
- Artistic swimming at the World Aquatics Championships: No medal
- Diving at the World Aquatics Championships: No medal
- High diving at the World Aquatics Championships: No medal
- Open water swimming at the World Aquatics Championships: No medal
- Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships: No medal
- Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships: No medal
Countries to know
India and the nations that have done best, biggest titles first.
- IndiaDiving at the Asian Games: 2 golds, 1 silver, 2 bronzes (latest 1954); Swimming at the Asian Games: 1 gold, 2 silvers, 6 bronzes (latest 2014)
- United StatesSwimming at the Olympic Games: 265 golds, 194 silvers, 152 bronzes (latest 2024); Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships: 263 golds, 216 silvers, 159 bronzes (latest 2025)
- ChinaDiving at the World Aquatics Championships: 138 golds, 67 silvers, 35 bronzes (latest 2025); Swimming at the Asian Games: 225 golds, 184 silvers, 111 bronzes (latest 2026)
- AustraliaSwimming at the Olympic Games: 74 golds, 75 silvers, 75 bronzes (latest 2024); Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships: 109 golds, 113 silvers, 75 bronzes (latest 2025)
- JapanSwimming at the Olympic Games: 24 golds, 28 silvers, 32 bronzes (latest 2024); Swimming at the Asian Games: 289 golds, 286 silvers, 191 bronzes (latest 2026)
Who runs it
| Rules made by | World Aquatics, Competition Regulations, in force from 1 January 2025 (a part for each discipline) |
| International federation | World Aquatics |
| In India | Swimming Federation of India (SFI), for swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming: recognised, on the MYAS list for 2026 |
Where and when it is played
In a pool, with lanes for swimming; open water swimming in a river, lake, sea or channel. A water polo field of play is 25.60 by 20 metres in water at least 1.80 metres deep. The big events: the Olympic Games every four years and the World Aquatics Championships every two years.