ABSTRACT
Although the aquatic environment is essentially alien to the human, it affords many challenges and attractions for sport and recreation purposes. Swimming is one of the most exciting of the Olympic sports and most of the developed countries have devoted considerable financial outlay to the construction of indoor swimming facilities. It is also one of the most physiologically exacting sports: the tournament competitive schedules of top swimmers and their training programmes are arguably more severe than in any other sport. Swimming is also an attractive pastime, its cardiovascular benefits being promoted for health and general fitness. Risk of musculoskeletal injury is minimal compared to jogging and dance aerobics because body weight is buoyed up by the water: this accounts for the use of swimming in rehabilitation of track and field athletes after injury. Besides their attractions to bathers, the open waters are also the site of the swimming component of triathlon competitions and ocean waters are used for endurance and cross-channel races.
