TITLE: swimming (sport)SECTION:
...learned by children about the time they walked, or even before. Among the ancient Greeks there is note of occasional races, and a famous boxer swam as part of his training. The Romans built swimming pools, distinct from their baths. In the 1st century bce the Roman Gaius Maecenas is said to have built the first heated swimming pool.
Water polo is a rough and demanding sport. The minimum depth of the pool is 2 metres (6.5 feet). The pool is 30 metres (98 feet) long between goals, and 20 metres (65 feet) wide. The width between goalposts is 3 metres (9.8 feet), the crossbar being at least 0.9 metre (3 feet) above the surface of the water. Nets are attached to the goalposts and crossbars. Pools for women’s games are smaller...