Long known as synchronized swimming, the sport rebranded itself after the 2016 Rio Olympics. Most swimmers were opposed to the change, but world governing body FINA said the new name would better illustrate what the sport is about and hopefully lead to greater popularity.
A new wrinkle has been added to artistic swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and teams are coming up with new routines for the expanded event.
A total of 10 teams, including the United States, will participate in this year’s events, which got underway on Monday in Paris.
After the conclusion of the team competition, the duet portion of the event will take place, with two more routines to wrap up the weekend.
Here’s how things work, and when you can catch the action.
Three Routines Per Team
During the team competition, there are three routines that each team will perform, one on each day.
The first was a technical routine, which featured a series of five required movements, with judges scoring teams based on adherence to those movements and their different components.
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The second will be the free routine, which does not have required movements but does incorporate elements of choreography, interpretation, synchronization, difficulty and presentation into the mix.
The third and final routine is known as the “acrobatic routine,” which emphasizes airborne and platform elements. This is a new addition to the Olympic program, and could bring more teams into medal contention on the final day of the competition.
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Finally, an overhauled scoring system was also unveiled this year to make the competition more objective, according to NBC Olympics.
Two Different Competitions
In addition to the team competition, there will be a duet competition on the final two days of artistic swimming. As the name implies, teams of two swimmers will perform one technical routine and then one free routine to get their final score.
When to Watch Artistic Swimming
Monday featured the technical routines for all 10 teams, with the United States finishing the day in seventh position. China scored the best at 313.5538, with Spain and Italy also in the top-three.
The competition will resume Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. CT with the free routine, which will take place live on Peacock, NBC Olympics and Universo. The competition will re-air at 4 p.m. CT on E!
The final event of the team competition will take place on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. on Peacock and E! It will also re-air on NBC Chicago during the afternoon coverage window.
The duet routines will kick off at 12:30 p.m. CT on Friday on Peacock, and will continue at 2:45 p.m. on E!
The final day of competition will take place Saturday at 12:30 p.m. with the free routine of the duet competition, starting on Peacock and finishing on E!
