Diving made its debut at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St. Louis. The divers performed in Springboard and Platform dives as they do today, though the event was known as “high diving.” In today’s Olympic Springboard event, five distinct categories must be performed – forward, back, reverse, inward and twisting. The sixth dive can be from any of these categories. In women’s the requirements are the same, though women are not required to complete a sixth dive. There is no limit on the total degree of difficulty in each category. The requirements for Platform diving are the same as in springboard, though the handstand is added to the five other categories. Additionally, all dives must be competed from the 10-meter platform.
There are also Synchronized Springboard and Platform events where two divers dive simultaneously in two voluntary dives with a degree of difficulty of 2.0 and four remaining dives (three for women) that are optional. Springboard diving competition takes place on a flexible 16-foot aluminum diving board that sits three meters above the surface of the water. The springboard sits upon what is known as a fulcrum, a moveable wheel that can be shifted in order to adjust the amount of spring the diver receives. The platform competition takes place on a stable surface that sits 10 meters above the water.
Each competing nation qualifies for a maximum of 12 spots in Olympic competition. Eight of these are for the individual springboard and platform competition, and the remaining four are for the synchronized diving teams. Individual diving competition in Beijing will take place in three rounds; the preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals. Divers will begin competition in each round with a score of zero. In synchronized diving, the divers will perform one list of dives from which the winner will be determined. The rules used for judging and scoring an Olympic diving contest are dictated by FINA, the international governing body for aquatic events. Scores range from 0 (completely failed) to 10 (the best) and are based solely on the starting position, the take-off, the flight and the entry. All other factors, including the degree of difficulty, are not factored in. In Synchronized diving, the divers are scored individually and as a team. A diver’s overall score is based on the total number of points for all the dives performed.
