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Diving
Since divers and swimmers both end up in water, they're mistakenly linked in the minds of most viewers. However, diving actually has more in common with gymnastics than it does with swimming. Fancy diving is believed to have begun in the 1600s as part of the gymnastics movement that was popular throughout Germany and Sweden.


		Technique \| Competition \| News, History, Fast Facts All About Athletes \| More Sports

Technique
Fancy dives are classified into four basic types: (1) the "layout," (2) the "pike," (3) the "tuck," and (4) the "free style." In the layout or "straight" dive, the body must not be bent in any fashion. In the pike, the body is bent at the hips and the knees are kept rigid. In the tuck, the body is compactly bunched with thighs drawn to the chest. The fourth dive, the free style, may include twists or other intricate movements in the air.

Competition
Both men and women compete separately in two events: the 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform.

Springboard diving is performed from a springboard three meters (9 feet, 10 inches) above the water. Since 1964 Olympic competitions have begun with a preliminary round of seven dives. The top 12 divers then advance to the finals, which consist of 11 dives -- five required and six voluntary. The judges' scores are multiplied by a coefficient that is determined by the degree of difficulty of the attempted dive.

Platform diving is staged from a rigid platform 10 meters (30 feet, 5 inches) above the water. The finalists perform four compulsory dives and six voluntary dives.

News, History, and Fast Facts

For complete information about playing, coaching, and watching diving, visit the Copernicus Education Gateway's School Athletics Center: Diving page.
Get a quick look at diving news, history, athletes, and rules from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Competitions, competitors, and dives are all covered on the NBCOlympics.com page, which also contains illustrated definitions of special diving terms.
Learn about diving equipment, rules, history, and more from the USOC site.
Explore the past, present, and future of diving on the Sydney 2000 site, which contains schedules, rules, and a look at the newest diving event: synchronized diving.
For easy explanations of diving, visit the Sydney 2000 Kids Web site.
"Want to know the roots of 'fancy diving'?" U.S. Diving Online explains how this formerly European sport got started in United States, and how it has changed over the years.

All About Athletes

For a list of U.S. National Team members, check out the U.S. Diving Online site.
Want to find out about divers from other nations? NBCOlympics.com takes a look at the best in the world.

More Sports

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General Sports Links
Olympians will compete in dozens of sports this summer. Even though Gateway to the Summer Games can't feature them all, you can learn about each and every one by visiting the sites listed below.

Griffin Publishing Group's Official Olympic Sports page
For information straight from the source, click on a sport to connect to its organization's official Web site.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation News
This site provides excellent information about Olympic sports and their rules. It also sizes up the best international competitors.
CBS Sportsline's Olympics 2000
Get top news stories and in-depth features about every sport.
CCN/SI
In addition to news on every sport, this site contains athlete diaries.
NBCOlympics.com
Select a sport to study or hear firsthand from an athlete who plays it.
Sydney 2000
The official site of the Sydney Olympics covers the events in detail.
Sydney 2000 Kids' Guide to Olympic Sports
Visit the Sportzone for sports-related information written especially for young students.
USOC
The United States Olympic Committee site includes the rules and history of events as well as athlete bios, diaries, and chats.
Sydney 2000 Fans
This unofficial site provides basic description of events and useful links to more information.

Portions of the above text were excerpted from Share the Olympic Dream--Volume II.
(c) 1995 by Griffin Publishing Group/United States Olympic Committee.

For information on purchasing Griffin materials, please visit the Griffin Publishing Group Web site at http://www.griffinpublishing.com.