Diving

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Schedule & Results

Diving

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Key Facts
Rules
30-Second Expert

Aim of the game

Divers jump into a pool from a platform or springboard, performing intricate acrobatic manoeuvres that are marked by judges – the winner is the diver who scores the most point

Why should you watch this?

You will witness a stunning display of daring grace and agility as the world’s best divers come together for South America’s first Olympic competition

Venues

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre

International Federation

FINA

Olympic debut

St. Louis 1904

Approach

The steps taken by the diver before assuming the diving position
Entry

Moment at which the diver enters the water, creating as little splash as possible
Height

The highest point reached by the diver during the manoeuvre

Impress your friends

4,000-year-old paintings depict Babylonians, Chaldeans and Egyptians diving into rivers and seas from high ledges in order to find food or hunt for treasure on the sea bed
The sport's Olympic debut in Saint Louis in 1904 took the form of distance diving – the diver who remained underwater for longest distance before resurfacing was the winner
The format of Olympic diving continued to be modified until the Sydney 2000 Games, which featured synchronised events from the platform and springboards
At the Berlin 1936 Games, the USA’s Marjorie Gestring became the youngest Olympic champion of all time, aged 13 years and nine months
At Beijing 2008, Australia's Matthew Mitcham executed a near-perfect twist, receiving four scores of 10 points and an overall score of 112.10, the highest ever in Olympic diving
In recent years, China has been the dominant force in diving, taking home 25 of the 31 medals awarded since Atlanta 1996
The first diving competition in Brazil was held in Rio in 1913 and was won by Adolpho Wallisch, who became the first Brazilian diver to compete at an Olympic Games in Antwerp 1920
At Seoul 1988, American Greg Louganis left spectators in shock when his head hit the platform mid-dive during the qualification phase – he went on to take the gold medal

Dives

Men must perform six dives and women five. Athletes’ scores are based on: starting position, approach, height, flight and entry into the water, along with synchronisation in the synchronised competitions.

The hands and arms, stretched out above the head, must be the first parts of the body to enter the water in dives with a head-first entry; in feet-first entries, the diver must pierce the water with outstretched toes.

Scoring

Seven judges score the individual events, while 11 judges score the synchronised events. Scores range from 0 to 10, but the highest and lowest scores are discarded. The remaining scores are added together and multiplied by the degree of difficulty of the dive.

Every movement is analysed in minute detail and any error can result in the loss of points. The silhouette formed by the athlete’s movement is assessed by the judges: the more modeled, the higher the score.