The Spring Swallow International Diving Championships have ended in Minsk, in the Soviet Union. Held from 15-19 March, they attracted leading divers from many parts of the world.

SYNOPSIS: Many competitors saw the competition as an important testing ground for the next Olympic Games, in two years time. Most of the prizes went to divers from the Soviet Union, like Irina Kalinina. She won the women's springboard event. Miss Kalinina is 19, and a student from Penza. This was the fourth year running she had won the Spring Swallow Championship. In 1975, she was world champion.

Second in the women's event was Olga Dmitrieva, who is a student at the Moscow Institute of Physical Culture. It was a close result, and she finished just ten points behind Miss Kalinina.

In the men's springboard event, an East German took the main honours. Falk Hofman, last year's European Champion, was in brilliant form. He went on to win the high diving event as well.

The Russian, Alexander Kosenkov, was second in the men's springboard. At 33, he is very much a senior citizen among the competitors.

The competition drew thousands of spectators, and competitors from eleven countries. A number of Olympic champions competed, including Russia's Elena Voitsekhovskaya, who came second in the women's high diving.