Google released a charming Google Doodle in the honor of artistic swimming Olympics. This is a sport that combines swimming, gymnastics, and dancing in its purest form. It is getting more popular with the fans.

On 5th August: Google unfurled a colorful doodle where an animated doodle of three ducks swimming in the fountain is shown with a note: The Artistic Swimming competitors have two things on their mind: sync AND swim. The playful doodle brought to the fore a core element associated with artistic swimming

Artistic Swimming at the Olympics Paris 2024

It made an Olympic debut in the Summer Olympics in 1984 and included both events of women’s solo and duet. Over years, new disciplines have been added into the event. For Paris 2024, there will be two medal events within the discipline: Duet and Team. Competition at the Paris Aquatics Centre between 5-11 August will be an absolute must-see for skill, acrobatics, and flair.

This year, the competition format has refreshed itself to bring new excitement to both athletes and spectators. Ten teams will participate over three nights in Team Free, Team Technical, and Team Acrobatic. Also, in contrast to the World Aquatics Championships—where medals are awarded individually for each event. In the Olympic Games, medals will be awarded based on an aggregate score across the three events.

This new format adds a level of complication and strategy where teams need to excel in all routines in hopes of securing a podium place.

Historical Background and Competition Today:

Several countries, different at different times, that have dominated artistic swimming. China has been the most dominant in the last two World Championships. Winning five out of the six gold medals in team events. Other countries that have contributed immensely to this discipline include Spain, Japan, the United States, Ukraine, and Italy. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, brought gold to the Russian Olympic Committee, with silver going to China and bronze to Ukraine. However, while Tokyo had just two routines, in Paris, teams will do three routines across three nights—a new level of competition.

The Team Technical, Team Free, and Team Acrobatic routines will be added up to determine both final scores and medal placements. This new format is likely to mix up the field of competition in this event, even more so without the participation of the Russian team, who have won the gold at the last six Olympics. This is now the opportunity for other nations—China, Japan, Ukraine, and Spain—to grab and dominate the top places. The United States also enters the competition with great expectations as they won their last synchronized swimming medal back in 2004 (two bronzes in Athens).

Veteran swimmer Anita Alvarez will lead the American team into battle, backed by Megumi Field, Jamie Czarkowski, and Ruby Remati, all eyeing to make waves at the Paris Aquatic Centre.

Sport Evolution:

In 2017, the sport changed its name from the former “synchronized swimming” to “artistic swimming.” The international governing body for aquatic sports, known by the acronym FINA. It wanted a new name that would give a more accurate description of this discipline. Too often, the word “synchronized” led many to believe that the swimmers were only synchronizing their movements with the music, not with each other. The name change to “artistic swimming” truly reflects this sport’s objectives regarding artistry, creativity, and synchronization among its team members.

Evolution has contributed to enhancing the regard in which artistic swimming is held as a discipline requiring much more than a physical physique or technical skill. It is also by creativity, self-expression, and aesthetics. Basically, athletes do acrobatic routines that are of an artistic nature, fusing gymnastics with synchronized movements. It elaborates choreography performed in a swimming pool to music. The routines are judged on technical execution, artistic impression, and synchronization, thus making it one of the multi-faceted sports that require excellence in different areas.

Watching Artistic Swimming at the 2024 Olympics:

Different ways to catch the artistic swimming events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be available. It depends on one’s residence.

Australia: The free-to-air coverage will air on Channel 9 and 9Gem with online live streams via the 9Now streaming service. That means that fans in Australia can enjoy every moment of the festival of sport.

In Canada, most of it, like artistic swimming, will be streamed for free on CBC Gem. Additional coverage can be found on Sportsnet and TSN, both of which carry complete Olympic coverage.

In the United Kingdom: The BBC and BBC iPlayer will have some events, but Discovery Plus is where the viewer really wants to go to fully access all the events. If consumers have subscribed to Discovery Plus, British viewers won’t miss a beat of the artistic swimming action.

USA: NBCUniversal hosts will air artistic swimming events on both NBC and E!, with huge amounts of live streaming on Peacock. It is also offering a daily rundown of all the big moments on its platform. For cord-cutters, Sling TV and Fubo provide streaming options that include NBC channels.

New Zealand: Free-service, state-owned TVNZ, alongside premium provider Sky Sport, will share Olympic coverage. Streaming on TVNZ Plus will be free, but comprehensive coverage with an Olympic Games dedicated pass on Sky Sport Now.

Watching the Coverage using VPNs:

A VPN can be of great use to those who are traveling during the Olympics and find themselves outside their home countries. With a VPN, one is able to access one’s home country streaming service simply by hiding one’s location. Effectively, this means viewers will get to stream artistic swimming. Just like other Olympic events, from anywhere in the world just like they are back home. One of the best VPNs, highly recommended, is NordVPN.

It provides very fast speeds, fantastic customer service, and a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. With Nord VPN’s huge network of servers spanning across numerous countries, good access to streaming services is assured. Users are only required to download the VPN, change the server location to the one preferred, and voilà. Be it the UK’s BBC iPlayer, Canada’s CBC Gem, or Australia’s 9Now, with a VPN like Nord VPN . It will be zipping all around the globe to catch each and every Olympic moment is going to become quite easy.