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History






Ancient peoples may have learned to swim by imitating the way dogs and other animals moved through water. The dog paddle was the first stroke they used. Swimming became a popular form of exercise and recreation in many ancient lands, including Assyria, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Its popularity declined during the Middle Ages, from the A.D. 400's to the 1500's. Many people feared swimming because they thought bubonic plague and certain other diseases were spread by water. Swimming regained popularity in the early 1800's. But it was not until the British of the early 19th century popularized swimming that the sport began its full growing. Captain Mathew Webb became the first person to swim the
20-mile course across the English Channel, on August 24–25, 1875.

Organized swimming competitions became common during the mid-1800's. At that time, many swimmers used the breaststroke. A faster stroke, the Australian crawl, was developed in the late 1800's. Johnny Weissmuller, an American swimmer of the early 1900's, changed this stroke slightly. His version, now called the front crawl, is the fastest, most widely used stroke.

The Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) was created in 1908, at the time of the first London Olympics. The founding of this important body came about by accident rather than design. The initiative came from Hearn, a former hon.sec. of the Amateur Swimming Association and, in 1908, its president. Realizing that so many representatives of various countries were in London for the Olympics, Hearn called a meeting to discuss mutual problems. This was held at the Manchester Hotel on 14 July, 1908. By its end, a world federation had been founded.

The first aims of FINA were to draw up rules for the conduct of swimming, diving, and water polo events, to set up an official list of world swimming records, and to take responsibility for the organization of the Olympic Games swimming events.

Men's international competition began in 1896 in the first modern Olympic Games. Women's competition was added in the 1912 Olympics. That year, Fanny Durack, an Australian, became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. Weissmuller won a total of five gold medals in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games. During his career, he set more than 65 United States and world records. Dawn Fraser and Murray Rose, two Australian swimmers, starred in the Olympics in the 1950's and 1960's. Fraser won the women's 100-metre freestyle race in 1956, 1960, and 1964. Rose won the men's 400-metre event in 1956 and I960, and the 1, 500-metre race in 1956. In 1972, Mark Spitz of the United States won seven gold medals, more than any other athlete had ever won in a single Olympics.

Belorusian swimmers won medals in the Olympic Games too. Sergei Koplyakov won two gold and two silver medals at the Olympic Games in Montreal and Moscow. Elvira Vasilkova was a silver medallist at the distance 100-metre breaststroke and got the bronze medal with Olga Klevakina in medley relay in Moscow-80. Yelena Rudkovskaya won the gold medal in 100-metre breaststroke and the bronze medal in medley relay in 1992 in Barselona.

Tasks

I. Reread paragraph 1 and say what it is about. Entitle the paragraph. From the list below choose the heading which suits its theme best.

1. Swimming popularity.

2. The first stroke people used in swimming.

3. Fear of swimming.

4. Swimming decline.

II. Which is the most important sentence expressing the main idea in paragraph 1. It may be called “the key sentence” (summarizing the information contained in the whole paragraph). Find the “key” of paragraph 1.

III. Reread paragraph 2. What heading can you give to paragraph 2? Which suits best, in your opinion:

1. The first champion in swimming. 2. The beginning of sport.
3. Popularization of swimming. 4. Captain Mathew Webb.

IV. Reread paragraph 4. Which is the most important sentence expressing the main idea in paragraph 4? It may be called “the key sentence”. Find the key – sentence of paragraph 4.

V. Reread paragraph 5. It is about the best swimmers of the world. Find who of them is the best.

VI. Give some information about:

a) the origin of swimming; b) FINA; c) the origin of the front crawl; d) outstanding swimmers.

VII. Read the text:






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