What is spoken before the Olympic swimming races?

Question

If you watch the swimming events, just prior to the electronic klaxon (which starts the race) there is a human voice saying something. It's often hard to hear since the television commentators are usually speaking at the same time. But what is being said, and in what language?

Answer 1

The swimming commands are:

1.) Swimmers up...this signals the swimmers to step up on the blocks (If it's backstroke then they are instructed to enter the water and then the equivalent of 'swimmers up' is 'place your feet')

2.) Take your marks (this signals the swimmer to grab the blocks or the backstrokers to pull their bodies up towards the block)

3.) The 'beep' signals for the swimmers to 'go'.

These commands are usually spoke in 'French' but when they were in LA they were in English. They might be in 'Chinese' during the Beijing Games.

Answer 2

Swimmers take your mark, it's equivalent to ready, set go (with the buzzer being go), it's usually said in English however there might be a mic behind each block saying "swimmers take you mark" in each competitors language but I doubt it.