Swimming has been popular since ancient times, and people have been swimming for thousands of years. One of the oldest wall paintings showing men swimming is found in Egypt. It shows Egyptian soldiers following their enemies by swimming across a river.
Swimming was important in ancient Greece and Rome. To them swimming was a healthy activity and they used it to train their soldiers. The Romans were the first to build large swimming pools. They built baths all over their empire. Roman baths were used for washing, relaxation and for exercise. The Japanese, however, were the first to hold swimming competitions, as early as 36 BC.
In Europe people were afraid to swim until the 19th century because they thought it would make them ill. Later, their wrong ideas changed and swimming became very popular. In 1896, It was one of the sports at the first modern Olympic games held in Athens, Greece.
© 2006 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
