Deciphering diving at the Olympics

If falling from a great height is one of your biggest fears then the Olympic diving event is definitely not for you!

Diving consists of launching oneself from a platform into water while performing acrobatic figures, which are then graded by a panel of judges.

During competitions, seven judges assess divers elegance and skill. Points are awarded (out of 10) depending on the degree of difficulty and the number and complexity of the attempted dive. Athletes are assessed on three key elements: approach, flight and entry into the water.

The Olympic discipline is made up of two events: the 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform. The 3-meter springboard allows divers to launch themselves into the air, while the 10-meter platform is a fixed board. A 10-meter dive lasts about two seconds!

Skills required: acrobatic skills, a good sense of balance and, of course, no fear of heights.

Popularized by the Swedes and Germans as early as the 18th century, artistic diving made its debut at the St. Louis Games in 1904. Until the 1912 Stockholm Games, only men were allowed to compete in this discipline. In 2000, at the Sydney Games, synchronized events made their official Olympic debut.

Divers sometimes throw a pebble into the water before diving… This helps them visualize where they need to land!

During competitions, jets of water are propelled over the area where athletes are supposed to enter the water, this guides them and can reduce the effects of the impact. Thanks to these air bubbles, surface pressure is lower which helps when divers are reaching speeds of 50 km/h (10-meter diving board).

Diving vocabulary often overlaps with trampolining with terms such as somersault and twist. But diving also has a "secret code"! Can you decipher what a 5152B is? The answer lies in some special nomenclature. Each jump type (group) is defined by the first digit in the sequence. The second number indicates the type of somersault: normal being 0 or a flying somersault being 1. The third digit represents the number of half-somersaults. Letters, at the end, indicate diving positions. Four digit groups either mean the dive will be either twisting (5) or starting on an armstand (6).

Still following? A diver who successfully completes a 5152B has performed a forward twist with 2^1/2 somersaults in the pike position.

The United States dominated the discipline for over 80 years starting at the Saint-Louis 1904 Games. But since the 1988 Olympics, China has taken over as the the leading medal winner. In Tokyo, they won seven gold medals.

Our French champions are not to be outdone… All qualifiers are yet to be known but thanks to their performances at the Doha Worlds in early February, Jules Bouyer and Gwendal Bisch have earned their ticket to the Paris 2024 Games in the 3-meter event.

Gary Hunt, world champion in extreme diving and silver medallist in Doha, has his sights set on the 10-metre synchro event, as does Emily Hallifax, a former top-level gymnast whose still only 18. Just five years after taking up diving, sisters Jade and Naïs Gillet also have a good chance of competing in the 3-metre synchronized events.

If you want to look like a Greek god, then this is the sport for you! If you're not afraid of heights, that is…

Artistic diving is ideal for controlling stress management and working on your mental health as the discipline requires a good dose of concentration!

in Paris, you can learn to dive from the age of 8. Before taking the plunge though, you'll be taught physical preparation and technical ground exercises.

You need to be patient, because practice really makes perfect.