Artistic swimming, formerly known as synchronized swimming, is a captivating sport where athletes perform meticulously choreographed routines to music, judged on execution, artistic impression, and declared difficulty. Governed by World Aquatics (previously FINA), it has been part of the Summer Olympics program since 1984, with its official name change occurring in 2017 following International Olympic Committee instruction, a decision that has faced some controversy.
Historically a women's sport, it has seen significant evolution towards inclusivity, with mixed-gender duet competitions introduced at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and men's individual events in 2022. Notably, men will be able to compete in the Olympic team event starting from 2024. To increase fairness and transparency, the sport underwent a major rule overhaul in 2022, aiming to reduce subjectivity in judging and align more closely with artistic gymnastics and figure skating.
Routines, typically two to three minutes long, consist of various complex elements including hybrids (underwater leg movements) and acrobatics (lifts), with athletes declaring their difficulty prior to performance and facing penalties if declared movements are not fully completed or if they touch the bottom of the pool.