Swimming at the 1948 Summer Olympics

The first Olympic Swimming tournament for twelve years took place at the 8,000 seat capacity Empire Pool (now known as Wembley Arena), next to Wembley Stadium. Originally built for the 1934 British Empire Games, the pool had to be shortened to the requisite 50 metres by the addition of a wooden bridge which was used by the officials. Notable absentees were the Japanese team which had dominated the men’s events at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics. In their absence the American men returned to a position of total supremacy in the pool although the women’s events were divided between the USA, Denmark and the Netherlands