Aquatic sports were first introduced into the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, although they originally had no official rules or standards in place. Things have progressed a lot since then and there are now four types of standard aquatic sports in the modern Olympic Games, namely swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo, each involving several events and races.

For London 2012, an impressive 20,000 seat venue has been specially built and designed by award-winning architect, Zaha Haid. Located in the Olympic Park in Carpenters Road, Stratford, it features an unusual S-shaped roof which is inspired by the flow of water. Amongst the 2012 Great Britain hopefuls is Thomas Daley, from Plymouth in Devon. He won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2007 and successfully competed in the Beijing Olympic Games, winning a place in the top 10 for the Men's Synchronised 10m Dive.