Structured Lists Directory

Overview

Swimming Disciplines

Swimming disciplines are the competitive swimming classifications established by World Aquatics (formerly FINA). The system consists of four fundamental strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly), individual medley, and relay events. Each stroke has distance events such as 50m, 100m, and 200m, which are competed in international competitions including the Olympics and World Championships. Based on rules standardized by the International Swimming Federation established in 1908, competitions are held in a unified format worldwide.

swimming competitive swimming World Aquatics FINA Olympics sports
code slug name description category distances strokeOrder
01 freestyle Freestyle A stroke with no restrictions on swimming style; front crawl is typically used. Basic Stroke ["50m","100m","200m","400m","800m (women)","1500m (men)"]
02 backstroke Backstroke A stroke swum on the back. Basic Stroke ["50m","100m","200m"]
03 breaststroke Breaststroke A stroke with simultaneous arm movements and a frog kick. Basic Stroke ["50m","100m","200m"]
04 butterfly Butterfly A stroke with simultaneous arm recovery over water and dolphin kick. Basic Stroke ["50m","100m","200m"]
05 individual-medley Individual Medley An event where one swimmer completes all four strokes in sequence. Combined Event ["200m","400m"] ["Butterfly","Backstroke","Breaststroke","Freestyle"]
06 freestyle-relay Freestyle Relay A team event where four swimmers each swim freestyle. Relay ["4×100m","4×200m"]
07 medley-relay Medley Relay A team event where four swimmers each swim a different stroke. Relay ["4×100m"] ["Backstroke","Breaststroke","Butterfly","Freestyle"]

The competitive swimming disciplines defined by World Aquatics (formerly FINA).