Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Swimming
at the Games of the II Olympiad
Swimming; at the Games of the II Olympiad
	Swimming pictogram
Venue	Seine
Dates	11–19 August 1900
No. of events	7
Competitors	76 from 12 nations
	← 1896 1904 →

At the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, seven swimming events were contested. Only men competed in the swimming competition. There was a total of 76 participants from 12 countries competing.^[1]^[2] As with the rowing events, swimming took place on the Seine between the Courbevoie Bridge and the Asnières Bridge.

Medal table

Sources:^[2]

Medal summary

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
200 m freestyle details	Frederick Lane (GBR)^{[N 1]}	Zoltán Halmay (HUN)	Karl Ruberl (AUT)
1000 m freestyle details	John Arthur Jarvis (GBR)	Otto Wahle (AUT)	Zoltán Halmay (HUN)
4000 m freestyle details	John Arthur Jarvis (GBR)	Zoltán Halmay (HUN)	Louis Martin (FRA)
200 m backstroke details	Ernst Hoppenberg (GER)	Karl Ruberl (AUT)	Johannes Drost (NED)
200 m team swimming details	Germany^[6] Ernst Hoppenberg Max Hainle Ernst Lührsen Gustav Lexau Herbert von Petersdorff	France Maurice Hochepied Victor Hochepied Joseph Bertrand Jules Verbecke Victor Cadet	France René Tartara Louis Martin Désiré Mérchez Georges Leuillieux Philippe Houben^{[N 2]}
200 m obstacle event details	Frederick Lane (GBR)^{[N 1]}	Otto Wahle (AUT)	Peter Kemp (GBR)
Underwater swimming details	Charles Devendeville (FRA)	André Six (FRA)	Peder Lykkeberg (DEN)

Participating nations

A total of 76 swimmers from 12 nations competed at the Paris Games:

Australia (1)
Austria (4)
Belgium (1)
Denmark (1)
France (47)
Germany (6)
Great Britain (7)
Hungary (1)
Italy (2)
Netherlands (4)
Sweden (1)
United States (1)

Notes

Main notes

1 2 As Australian Frederick Lane (AUS) represented a British swim club,^[3] his participation and medals are attributed to Great Britain.^[i]
↑ Houben did not compete; however, he is listed in the IOC's medal database as part of the Neptune team.

Subnotes

↑ In 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reinstated its original and current attribution policy for athletes at the early Olympic Games (1896–1904). Participation and medals have been attributed according to the national affiliation of the club or team represented by the athlete, rather than their nationality.^[4]^[5]

Non-medal events

In 1900, there was no official distinction between Olympic events and non-Olympic events held during the Exposition Universelle (1900). The swimming events satisfying the criteria for Olympic events are now generally distinguished from the professional swimming competitions held during the exposition, as being a professional event. Before July 2021, the IOC had never formally decided which events were "Olympic" and which were not.^[7]

There was one professional swimming event contested between 15 and 19 August^[8]

Games	First	Second	Third
4,000 metres freestyle (professionals) details	Sam Greasley (GBR)	Will Evans (GBR)	Paul Blache (FRA)

References

↑ "Swimming at the 1900 Paris Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
1 2 "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
↑ "Olympedia – Fred Lane". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
↑ "Olympedia – FAQ Nationality". Olympedia. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
↑ "IOC Executive Board approves change of Lloyd Hildebrand's silver medal at Paris 1900, from Great Britain to France". International Olympic Committee. 13 June 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. However, this does not affect the rationale behind the decision to credit the medal to France, as this was based on the NOC of the club that entered him
↑ "Men's 200 metre team swimming". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
↑ Lennartz, Karl; Teutenberg, Walter (1995). Olympische Spiele 1900 in Paris. Kassel, Germany: Agon-Sportverlag. p. 147. ISBN 3-928562-20-7. In many works, it is read that the IOC later met to decide which events were Olympic and which were not. This is not correct and no decision has ever been made. No discussion of this item can be found in the account of any Session.
↑ "4,000 metres Freestyle, Professionals, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 September 2026.

"Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
De Wael, Herman (2001-06-07). "Swimming 1900". Herman's Full Olympians. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
Mallon, Bill (December 1997). The 1900 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.
Piscine, Deligny. "Piscine Deligny". Deligny the sink pool on the Seine was one of the places for the Olympics 1900 in Paris. Retrieved 2021-08-01.

[lane-7] 1 2 As Australian Frederick Lane (AUS) represented a British swim club,^[3] his participation and medals are attributed to Great Britain.^[i]

[Houben-9] Houben did not compete; however, he is listed in the IOC's medal database as part of the Neptune team.

[ioc_policy_nationality-6] In 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reinstated its original and current attribution policy for athletes at the early Olympic Games (1896–1904). Participation and medals have been attributed according to the national affiliation of the club or team represented by the athlete, rather than their nationality.^[4]^[5]

[SportsRef-1] "Swimming at the 1900 Paris Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2016.

[olympedia_1900swim-2] 1 2 "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-08-31.

[olympedia_lane-3] "Olympedia – Fred Lane". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-08-31.

[olympedia_nationality-4] "Olympedia – FAQ Nationality". Olympedia. Retrieved 8 August 2026.

[ioc_hildebrand-5] "IOC Executive Board approves change of Lloyd Hildebrand's silver medal at Paris 1900, from Great Britain to France". International Olympic Committee. 13 June 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. However, this does not affect the rationale behind the decision to credit the medal to France, as this was based on the NOC of the club that entered him

[8] "Men's 200 metre team swimming". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-09-12.

[KLWT-10] Lennartz, Karl; Teutenberg, Walter (1995). Olympische Spiele 1900 in Paris. Kassel, Germany: Agon-Sportverlag. p. 147. ISBN 3-928562-20-7. In many works, it is read that the IOC later met to decide which events were Olympic and which were not. This is not correct and no decision has ever been made. No discussion of this item can be found in the account of any Session.

[Olympedia4000-11] "4,000 metres Freestyle, Professionals, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 September 2026.

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v t e Events at the 1900 Summer Olympics (Paris, France)
Official	Archery Athletics Basque pelota Cricket Croquet Cycling Equestrian Fencing Football Golf Gymnastics Polo Rowing Rugby union Sailing Shooting Swimming Tennis Tug of war Water polo
Unofficial	Angling Ballooning Baseball Boules Cannon shooting Fire fighting Kite flying Life saving Longue paume Military exercise Motor racing Motorcycle racing Pigeon racing Water motorsports
Medal table List of medalists

v t e Swimming at the Summer Olympics
Editions	1896 1900 1904 1906 (Intercalated) 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028
Current events	50 m free 100 m free 200 m free 400 m free 800 m free 1500 m free 100 m back 200 m back 100 m breast 200 m breast 100 m fly 200 m fly 200 m IM 400 m IM 4 × 100 m free relay 4 × 200 m free relay 4 × 100 m medlay relay 10 km
Past events	500 m free (1896) 1000 m free (1900) 1200 m free (1896) 4000 m free (1900) 400 m breast 1904 1912 1920 4 × 100 yd free relay (1904) 200 m team (1900) 200 m obstacle (1900) underwater (1900) 100 m free sailors (1896)
List of medalists men women List of Olympic records List of Olympic venues

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Great Britain	4	0	1	5
2	Germany	2	0	0	2
3	France	1	2	2	5
4	Austria	0	3	1	4
5	Hungary	0	2	1	3
6	Denmark	0	0	1	1
6	Netherlands	0	0	1	1
Totals (7 entries)		7	7	7	21