Diving

There are four men’s and four women’s events: 3m Springboard, 10m Platform, Synchronised 3m Springboard and Synchronised 10m Platform.

Number of competitors
136 (68 men and 68 women)
Each country is limited to two athletes in each individual event and one team (two athletes) in each Synchronised event.

Field of play
The diving pool is 25m long and 5m deep. The eight Diving events feature either a springboard, 3m above the pool, or a fixed platform, set at a height of 10m. Springboards must be at least 4.8m long and 50cm wide, while platforms should be at least 6m long and 3m wide.

History of Diving at the Olympic Games
Diving made its Olympic debut in 1904, where medals were awarded for men in the 10m Platform and the Plunge for Distance (a Diving long jump event, which never again appeared on the Olympic programme). Women’s Diving was introduced in 1912 and Synchronised Diving made its first Olympic appearance at Sydney in 2000.

Find out more about Diving at the Olympic Games on the International Olympic Committee website.

The basics
Divers submit in advance the dives which they will perform. The more difficult a dive, the higher the potential score if it is executed correctly: judges award a score out of 10 for each dive, which is multiplied by the dive’s degree of difficulty. In the Synchronised Diving events, pairs of athletes dive in tandem and are assessed for their execution and synchronisation by separate groups of judges – a judge never assesses both execution and synchronisation. The higher the judges’ score, the higher the diver/team is placed.

Jargon buster
Armstand – a platform dive that begins from the hands.
Platform – a fixed diving board, at least 6m long and 3m wide. In Olympic competition, it’s 10m above the water.
Pike – a diving position for which the diver bends the body at the hips, keeping the legs straight.
Springboard – a flexible diving board, at least 4.8m long and 50cm wide.
Tuck – a diving position in which the diver curls up into a ball, holding the shins towards the body.