Beijing showcases water wrestling and Californian bikes

By Robert Woodward

LONDON (Reuters) - Olympic swimming returns to its origins in Beijing when the 10-km open water event, a physical event which can resemble wrestling in water, makes its debut.

BMX cycling, synonymous with the Californian way of life, will also feature for the first time at a Summer Games in an attempt to reinvigorate young people's interest in the Olympics.

Several other sports such as fencing, sailing and shooting have lost, or swapped, events as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) tries to keep the number of athletes roughly comparable with the 2004 Games -- 10,500 after 10,625 in Athens.

At the first modern Games in 1896, 245 athletes, all men, from 14 countries took part and the swimming events were held in open water near Piraeus.

The water was very cold and the winner of the 1,200-metre race, Hungary's Alfred Hajos, said that by the end "my will to live completely overcame my desire to win".

The water in Beijing, where the men's and women's races will take place at the rowing venue, is a lot warmer but a fighting spirit will be just as important for the 10-km race.

Swimmers openly tussle for position and only the strong survive when the pack rounds the buoys that mark out the course.

"Everyone fights for the inside line, it's elbows under the water and stuff like that," said South African Natalie du Toit after a qualifying race in April. "A lot of us came out with black eyes and a couple even had scratched corneas."