Arut A. Enogyan

The importance of studying the historical aspects of the development of swimming and water sports remains significant, as it helps to understand its current role in culture, sports, and health care. Until now, the emergence and development of water sports (swimming, water polo, and diving) in Crimea at the beginning of the 20th century have not been the subject of a special study. In the article, the authors attempted to study the development of water sports and teaching people to swim in Crimea at the beginning of the 20th century. Based on systematic and regional approaches, the scientific article used a complex of general theoretical, historical, and historical-pedagogical methods (analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature, system-historical analysis, historical and retrospective methods, comparative methods). The main sources for studying this issue are scientific articles on the development of swimming during the studied period, archival documents, autobiographical works, and publications in the Crimean press of the early 20th century. It has been found that the Crimean Peninsula, which is surrounded by seas, actively used its water resources for the development of swimming and water sports. The early 20th century was a period of active development of water sports on the peninsula, which was achieved through the introduction of "sea sports" into the extracurricular activities of educational institutions in Crimea and the establishment of special swimming schools in the cities of Feodosia, Yevpatoria, and Sevastopol, with the active support of yacht clubs, philanthropists, and the Imperial Russian Society for Saving Lives on the Waters and Military Sports Committees. The theoretical significance of this work lies in obtaining previously unsystematized data on the development of water sports and swimming training in Crimea at the beginning of the 20th century, which contributes to a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the region's development. The practical significance of the work is due to the possibility of further critical reflection and borrowing of positive experience for the development and improvement of modern water sports on the peninsula.