125th Annual Varsity

Next year marks the 125th year of Oxford University Swimming Club’s existence. The very first Varsity match took place in 1892 against Cambridge. This match predates the 1896 Athens Olympics, the first in modern times, and is the oldest swimming fixture in the world. We have been a gender equal and diverse club since very early in our history. Below is a picture of the woman’s swimming squad from 1928

In addition to this momentous anniversary next year, in 2016 we will also be celebrating our tenth biannual Varsity open water channel relay.  Every two years since 1998 Oxford has competed against Cambridge to race across the twenty one miles of the English Channel, with each swimmer swimming for an hour at a time. This is a gruelling task for all who take part and our ability to field a team and complete the race ever two years is a testament to the consistently high standard of the club. More information about the Channel swim can be found here.