Abstract

H. Sadzius (2001) has written that there is not enough literature on the history of various sports in Lithuania. There are more than 100 sports federations in Lithuania, but only 15 of them started to collect and summarize historical data of their sport. V. Kupstys (1993), B. Statkeviciene, A. Janauskas (1993), B. Statkeviciene (1994), R. Mazutaitiene, B. Statkeviciene (1994), B. Statkeviciene (2001), Mazeikiene (2001) have investigated and summarized facts of the history of swimming sport. Firsov (1980) writes about changes in swimming technique from one Olympic Games (OG) to another. We can find some articles of champions of various OG (Steve Johanson 2000, Scott Rabalais 1999), but there are not enough data about OG swimming competitions and World Wars. We analysed number of OG participants, programme of swimming competition before World War and just after the War. We analysed the results of 1st-14th OG champions and mean data of swimming results of the athletes that took 1st-3rd places in OG. We determined that the number of OG participants used to increase from OG to OG. The same results we received with the number of swimming competitions participants. Swimming competitions programme for men stabilised from the 4th OG, for women stabilised from 8th OG. As we determined there was not the World War influence on changing OG swimming competition programme. We determind that 96% of women champions’ results and 78% of men’s results that have shown in the OG were better than one OG before. The 1st and the 2nd World War have had much more influence on men’s results than on women’s results, especially for distance swimmers. After World War II the results in all distances (except 100m freestyle) shown by women were better than before World War II (the difference is significant). The averages of the 1-3-place results shown by men after World War II (at the 14th OG) were not always better than before the War (in 14th OG). The averages of the 1-3 place results shown by men after the World War I (in 7th OG) in 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke were better than before World War I (in 5th OG) (the difference is significant). OG swimming competition results could be worse if not swimmers from the USA, Canada, and Australia. After the I and II Wars at the 7th and 14th OG swimmers from USA. Verf.-Referat