Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics

The 1904 swimming events were held on 5-7 September 1904. After track & field athletics, it was perhaps the most international sport of any contested at the 1904 Olympics as there were competitors from Hungary, Germany and Austria in addition to the United States. Unlike track & field, however, the swimming competition was not totally dominated by the American athletes, and the international competition was the best of the 1904 Olympics. The 1904 Olympic events doubled as the United States National Championships, or the AAU Championships. Still, there was no prohibition against foreign entrants or competitors.

There were 10 events held at the 1904 swimming competitions. The events were held in a man-made lake that was used each day by the Coast Guard for life-saving exhibitions at the World’s Fair. The races were held on the opposite side of the lake between a pier and rafts floating on the lake. The lake was fed from a river creating a slight current, although the swimmers agreed that the current had not been a major consideration.