The 2024 Olympic Games is well underway and artistic swimming is one of the many sports that you might tune in to.

As the Olympic Games have such a range of different sports, including some that aren’t usually widely televised, you might find yourself watching a sport you don’t fully understand.

While you can sometimes start to pick up the rules as you watch, having some background knowledge beforehand is often useful.

To help you out, we’ve broken down some key questions on artistic swimming and how the sport works in the Olympic Games.

How will Olympic artistic swimming work at Paris 2024?

Artistic swimming, more commonly known as ‘synchro’, is where sport and art meet.

When the sport originated in the late 1800s it was known as water ballet, and it has since developed into a sport requiring extreme skill and stamina.

Another key component of artistic swimming is that the athletes must be synchronised in their movements.

What are the different movements called in artistic swimming?

The different movements and positions performed in artistic swimming are known as figures.

They include basic positions like tuck or vertical, where swimmers have their heads underwater and their body is in a straight line.Basic movements see swimmers combine two or more basic positions together and can include twists and spins.

In team competitions, lifts can be performed and are sometimes called highlights.

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Is artistic swimming different to synchronised swimming?

No, artistic swimming was previously known as synchronised swimming, with the name changing in 2017. Tokyo 2020 was the first Olympics in which the sport was known as artistic swimming.

The change was done in an effort to boost popularity and also bring it in line with other sports including artistic gymnastics.

What pool do artistic swimmers compete in?

At the Olympic Games, artistic swimmers do not compete in the same pool as the swimmers.

Instead, they will compete in a 25m-long and 3m-deep pool in the Aquatics Centre, which is the only permanent sports facility to be built for Paris 2024 and will house water polo and diving alongside the artistic swimming.

What are the different events in artistic swimming?

At the Olympics, athletes compete across two events in artistic swimming, the women’s duet and the team.

For nations who have qualified a team, two team members will be selected for the duet.

In the duet, swimmers perform a technical routine, which has predetermined elements, and a free routine, which has no required elements.

The team event also includes a technical and free routine but for Paris, there will also be an acrobatic routine, which includes acrobatic and airborne movements.

How many people compete in the team event in artistic swimming?

Eight swimmers form a team in artistic swimming.

Do men compete in artistic swimming?

The sport actually originated with men competing before becoming a women-only sport, but men have been able to compete at the World Championships since 2015.

Paris 2024 will mark the first time that men have been permitted to compete in artistic swimming at the Olympic Games, but none have been selected. A maximum of two men could have competed in the team event.

Can you perform to any music in artistic swimming?

Yes, nations can select any music they want.

Traditionally, classical music was preferred for routines, but now, plenty of nations select pop songs while some prefer dramatic scores or soundtracks.

To be able to hear the music while competing, the pools have underwater speakers.

How does scoring work in artistic swimming?

The scoring system for artistic swimming has changed ahead of Paris 2024 to make it more objective.

Panels of judges are now tasked with scoring on two main categories: execution and artistic impression.

The coach card has also been introduced, the card is given to judges ahead of a performance and details the breakdown of the routine and the degree of difficulty.

In the duet, scores, which each individual judge gives out of 10, from the technical and free routines are added together to decide the final standings.

For the team event, the acrobatic routine is added to the technical and free routine scores.

Why do people wear nose clips in artistic swimming?

You will often see artistic swimmers with clips or pegs on their noses.

This is to stop water going into their noses during performances with swimmers breathing through their mouths.

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What do artistic swimmers do to their hair?

In competitions, swimmers do not wear swim caps but do something to keep their hair in place when performing.

After putting their hair into a well-secured bun, athletes then cover their head in gelatine which is then set with a hairdryer.

An extra layer of gelatine is then added to give a glossy finish, while warm water is needed to remove the gelatine after competition.