Aquatics GB's Olympic divers and swimming Olympians and Paralympians have received ceremonial swimming caps and chamois to mark their inclusion in the Paris 2024 team - and to celebrate their unique place in Aquatics GB Olympic and Paralympic history.
Every aquatic athlete who competes for Team GB or Paralympics GB has a number denoting when they were first called up to an Olympic and Paralympic team, with researchers from Aquatics GB going back through the records to map out exactly where every athlete fits into that legacy.
Ahead of travelling out to Paris, our Olympic and Paralympic swimmers were presented with honorary caps, personalised with their names and their Olympic or Paralympic number. The same was the case for our divers, who received honorary chamois - the piece of cloth that those in the sport use on their bodies shortly before performing a dive.
The Olympic presentations preceded a memorable Games for our aquatic athletes, which saw our divers make history with a haul of five medals in Paris - including a clean sweep of synchro medals, plus a superb Men's 10m Platform bronze for Noah Williams - and the same number for the swimmers, which featured a history-making title defence of the Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay crown for James Guy, Tom Dean, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott, as well as maiden Olympic golds for Kieran Bird and Jack McMillan in that event.
Our Paralympic team were presented their caps and numbers at a ceremony during their holding camp last week, before they travelled out to Paris to prepare for the Games, which dive into action from Thursday.
Speaking on the importance of this project and marking each individual's place in Aquatics GB history, Aquatics GB CEO Drew Barrand said: "Our teams have been focused on achieving some incredible performances and results out in Paris this summer - but every single athlete who makes up those teams is now part of our Olympic and Paralympic legacy as an organisation.
"That is a very special achievement, becoming part of such an exclusive club, and we are proud to help athletes mark their place in that club in this way. That goes for athlete alumni too - we have tracked down each person's unique Olympic or Paralympic number, so we can tell you exactly where you stand in that legacy."
Excitingly, as part of our new XQUATICS alumni project, every athlete who swam or dived at an Olympics or Paralympics is able to find out their unique Games number if they would like.
If a former athlete wants to find out more, please contact alumni@aquaticsgb.com.
