Starting in the 18th century, organisations were formed to help those in need of rescue in the water. Following an international congress in 1878, these organisations were increasingly cooperating to learng from each other. On offspring of that was competitive lifesaving, a tool to train lifesavers and interest others in lifesaving. Competitions in lifesaving were held during the 1900 Olympic Games, where it was also unsuccessfully attempted to set up an international federation for the sport. This succeeded 10 years later with the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Sauvetage Aquatique (FIS). This IF eventually merged into what is now the International Life Saving Federation, an IOC recognized organisation.