Beijing 2008
In Beijing there will be eight diving events contested at the National Aquatic Centre at the Olympic Green. Chinese divers are expected to dominate as they did at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne.
Australia and Olympic Diving
Australian athletes have won 2 gold, 1 silver and six bronze medals in diving at the Olympics. Richmond "Dick" Eve won this plain (no twists or turns) high diving at Paris in 1924 for our first medal.
At the Sydney 2000 Games Australia returned to the dais in Olympic diving after more that three quarters of a century with bronze medals being won by Robert Newbery and Dean Pullar in the men's synchronised springboard and Rebecca Gilmore and Loudy Tourky in the women’s synchronised platform.
In Athens 2004 Australia with six medals (1 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze) was the second most powerful diving nation, behind China with nine medals. Chantelle Newbery's gold medal (ahead of Loudy Tourky with the bronze) in the women's platform was Australia's first Olympic diving success since 1924.
Australia hopes to qualify a full team of x divers for Beijing 2008 with Tourky (now Wiggins) and two-time Olympic medallist Mathew Helm coming out of retirement to try and gain selection.
Olympic History
Men's platform diving first appeared on the Olympic program in St Louis 1904 and springboard diving was added in London 1908. Platform diving was one of the aquatic events introduced for women in Stockholm 1912 with springboard events added at Antwerp 1920. In Sydney in 2000, synchronised diving events off the springboard and platform, were introduced for both men and women.