The sport was developed further by American swimmer Katherine Curtis, who had the idea of combining water acrobatics with music. Her students performed at the 1933–34 Chicago Century of Progress Fair, where the announcer, former Olympic swimming gold medallist Norman Ross, coined the term 'synchronised swimming'.

Where did synchronized swimming start?

The first synchronised swimming competitions took place in Berlin in 1891 and London in 1892. Contests were originally solely for men but it was soon recognised that artistic swimming was better fitted to women who were overall more buoyant, in particular in the legs.

When was synchronized swimming started?

When synchronised swimming first originated at the turn of the 20th century, it was known as water ballet. The first synchronised swimming clubs are recorded to have started around 1891 when it is thought the first competition took place in Berlin, Germany.