Artistic Swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics: A New Era Begins

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are shaping up to be exciting, especially for artistic swimming fans! For the first time ever, men are now allowed to compete in this sport, which has traditionally been a women-only event since it made its Olympic debut in 1984.

Even though men can go for it, it seems like there won’t be any on the rosters for Team USA this time around. Artistic swimming, often called synchronized swimming, is a beautiful mix of dance, gymnastics, and swimming, with routines performed to music that can even include daring jumps and spins.

The competition consists of two main events: duet and team competitions. Each event has a technical routine—where skill is key—and a free routine, which is all about creativity and artistry. Athletes are scored based on various factors, including how well they synchronize and the difficulty of their moves.

Historically, Team USA and Canada were powerhouses in this sport, but Russia has taken the lead over the last few decades. As we head into the Paris Games, China is currently ranked at the top, but teams from Spain, Great Britain, and the Netherlands are also expected to perform impressively.

This year’s competition is especially significant because Team USA is back in the artistic swimming scene for the first time since 2008. The eight talented women on the team have high hopes and could very well challenge for a gold medal.

The competition will kick off with the technical routine, which is one of three phases in the revamped team format. Now there’s an extra acrobatic routine added, making the competition more unpredictable, according to U.S. head coach Andrea Fuentes, who knows her stuff—she’s a four-time Olympic medalist herself!

She believes this new format brings an exciting twist to the routines, leading to surprising rankings that haven’t been seen before. The team is focusing on high-risk moves, and their efforts paid off recently as they made it to the podium in the acrobatic routines at both the World Championships in 2023 and 2024.

During the technical competition, the U.S. team will perform to the iconic tune of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” adding their flair to the classic track. Fans can catch the action live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.