During the first Summer Universiade in Turin (ITA) 1959, 12 records were broken, setting the milestone for another 12 Universiade records just two years later in Sofia (BUL). This is typically Swimming: a very high level sport in a dramatic setting.

History of Swimming in FISU

Swimming is one of the most popular leisure activities and competitive sports around the world and it first featured at the third International University Sports Weeks in 1951, in Luxembourg. However, it was not until the inauguration date of the modern Summer Universiade in 1959 in Turin that swimming became a compulsory event on the sports programme of FISU. During this first Summer Universiade 12 records were broken, setting the milestone for another 12 Universiade records just two years later in Sofia (BUL).

Due to the increasing success, university swimming continued to attract more and more student participants from around the world, boosting the level of competition to grow beyond its own great heights. In 1967 in Tokyo, the victory of the American swimming team remained without doubt, one of the most outstanding feats in Universiade history, taking a total of nine (9) world records. The success story of swimming continued throughout the eighties and nineties, best exemplified in the 1981 Summer Universiade in Bucharest (ROM), where 26 Universiade records were broken in 29 events. Just two years later in Edmonton (CAN), the Soviet swimmers, headed by the world record holder Vladimir Salvikov, literally crushed their adversaries, taking 22 titles. Edmonton was also the first international event for the future Olympic champion Alex Bauman. The level of the Universiade swimming competitions remained high and top ranking swimmers such as Matt Biondi, Michael Gross, Jon Sieben, Otylia Jedrzejczack, Yana Klochkova, Rachel Komisarz, Oleg Lisogor, Tom Malchow and Gustavo Borges participated in both the Olympics and the Universiades.

In 1997 the Summer Universiade was hosted in Sicily (ITA) where a new swimming complex was built specifically for the Universiade. Everyone was anticipating the performance of the Olympic medal winner, Penelope Heyns, but it was finally Slovakia’s Martina Moravcova who took the show by winning four individual gold medals. 

Minimum Requirements for Swimming

The Organising Committee must provide, for exclusive use, an indoor/outdoor competition pool with full support facilities as approved by the Swimming CT. The FINA regulations must be followed.

Competition Facilities

• The competition pool must comply with FINA Regulations for competitions and have the following minimum dimensions: 50 m x 25 m x 1.8 m and 8 lanes
• Electronic timing and scoring system must be provided including video cameras recording the finish
• 12 line electronic scoreboard
• An adjoining warm-up/swim-down pool, 25 m x 10 m x 1.8 m in dimension
• Training must be scheduled in the competition pool outside of competition time

(*) In accordance with the level of entries, scheduled training facilities must be made available in addition to the competition pool and preferably in a 50m pool.

Previous Events 

• 2009 - 25th Summer Universiade – Belgrade (SRB)
• 2007 - 24th Summer Universiade – Bangkok (THA)
• 2005 - 23rd Summer Universiade – Izmir (TUR)
• 2003 - 22nd Summer Universiade – Daegu (KOR)
• 2001 - 21st Summer Universiade – Beijing (CHN)
• 1999 - 20th Summer Universiade - Palma de Mallorca (ESP)
• 1997 - 19th Summer Universiade – Sicily (ITA)
• 1995 - 18th Summer Universiade – Fukuoka (JPN)
• 1993 - 17th Summer Universiade – Buffalo (USA)
• 1991 - 16th Summer Universiade – Sheffield (GBR)
• 1987 - 14th Summer Universiade – Zagreb (YUG)
• 1985 - 13th Summer Universiade – Kobe (JPN)
• 1983 - 12th Summer Universiade – Edmonton (CAN)
• 1981 - 11th Summer Universiade – Bucharest (ROU)
• 1979 - 10th Summer Universiade – Mexico City (MEX)
• 1977 - 9th Summer Universiade – Sofia (BUL)
• 1973 - 7th Summer Universiade – Moscow (URS)
• 1970 - 6th Summer Universiade – Torino (ITA)
• 1967 - 5th Summer Universiade – Tokyo (JPN)
• 1965 - 4th Summer Universiade – Budapest (HUN)
• 1963 - 3rd Summer Universiade – Porto Alegre (BRA)
• 1961 - 2nd Summer Universiade – Sofia (BUL)
• 1959 - 1st Summer Universiade – Torino (ITA)