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meters. Competitors use elevated starting blocks from which they perform dive
starts for the freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly events. Backstroke competitors
start in the pool and push off when the starting buzzer sounds. Electronic timer pads
placed underwater register a swimmer's touch at the end of a race. Open-water
races can take place in either saltwater or freshwater and in oceans, lakes or rivers.
Competition Officials
Olympic swimming relies on a small army of officials to make sure that race results
are fair and accurate. One referee oversees the entire operation. Olympic regulatory
teams include four stroke judges who look for irregularities in acceptable stroke
mechanics, two race-start officials, two lead turn officials and two dedicated turn
inspectors for each end of every lane who check that each swimmer touches the
wall and turns correctly. Open-water races supplement technical staff with safety
and medical officers.
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Swimmers compete in a total of 34 events, split equally between female and male
competitors. Of all the events, only the 10K takes place outside the pool in open
water. Breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly races require swimmers to use the
assigned strokes. Only freestyle lets you choose your stroke, which usually is the
front crawl, the fastest of the four competitive strokes. Racers can swim underwater
for up to 15 meters after the initial start dive and after pushing off from the wall
after a turn. Any swimmer whose head fails to break the surface of the water at 15
meters faces elimination.