How to qualify for diving at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained
Diving will once again feature at the Olympic Games, with eight medal events for both men and women scheduled for Paris 2024. In total, 136 divers will compete in the capital of France, with People’s Republic of China aiming to continue their dominance of the sport. Find out everything you need to know about the number of athletes, stars to watch and pathway to qualification below.
Diving made its Olympic debut at St. Louis 1904 and has featured at every Olympic Games since.
After the addition of synchronised events at Sydney 2000, there have always been eight gold medals on offer at the Games - and Paris 2024 will be no exception.
China’s diving team has become the dominant force in the sport since Los Angeles 1984. Divers from the nation have won 47 gold medals out of a possible 64 at the past 10 editions of the Games.
In Paris, the Chinese divers will once again be the ones to beat, but before that happens, athletes from across the world will need to secure spots for their NOCs.
Find out everything you need to know about the pathway to qualification below.
READ MORE: The quest for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification begins
How many athletes will compete in diving at Paris 2024?
A maximum of 136 athletes (68 of each gender) will compete in diving at Paris 2024 - the exact same number as Tokyo 2020.
As the host country, France is guaranteed one team (two athletes) in each synchronised diving event, (four women and four men for a maximum of eight athletes).
There are a maximum of 16 quota places (eight for each gender) available to each NOC and a maximum of two athletes per individual event and one synchronised team (two athletes) per synchronised event.
As opposed to other sports that allocate spots to athletes by name, all quota places will be allocated to NOCs.
If an athlete is entered as both a team member in synchronised diving and as an individual competitor in the event of the same board height, the athlete will be counted as a single quota place.
Athletes younger than 14 years on 31 December in the year of the competition will not be permitted to compete at the Paris 2024 Games, while only athletes eligible to participate in official FINA competitions are entitled to compete at the Games.
What is the diving qualification pathway to Paris 2024?
Individual Qualification: Springboard and Platform
An individual athlete may obtain only one quota place per individual event for his/her NOC/NF.
Key tournaments for divers to compete for quotas for their NOCs are as follows:
12 athletes per event: 20th FINA World Championships Fukuoka 2023 - Olympic Games Qualification (Phase 1)
The 12 highest placing athletes in each individual event will secure one quota place for his/her NOC.
Up to five athletes per event: Continental Championships (Phase 2)
Only the champion in each of the four individual events of each Continental Championship will obtain a quota place for his/her NOC. The Continental Championship must be approved by FINA.
Should a Continental Championship not take place, a continent may qualify a diver for an individual event at an event to be decided by the FINA Bureau. At least two National Federations from that continent must participate in the respective individual event. The highest placing continental athlete will obtain a quota place for his/her NOC.
An individual athlete may obtain only one quota place per individual event for his/her NOC.
A neutral FINA Technical Diving Delegate must be in attendance at the Continental Championships.
21st FINA World Championships Doha 2024 - Olympic Games Qualification (Phase 3)
The 12 highest placing athletes in each individual event will obtain one quota place for their NOC with a maximum of two athletes per NOC. The total number of athletes qualified in this event shall not exceed 136, the number of the total maximum quota established.
Additional quota places may be obtained by athletes for his/her NOC but only until the quota in the respective event is filled and the total of 136 athletes is not exceeded.
These additional quota places will be allocated to athletes placed 13th and higher at the 21st FINA World Championships Doha 2024 until the maximum number of athletes is reached and respecting the maximum number of quotas per NOC as mentioned above.
Team Qualification: Synchronised Diving (Springboard and Platform)
There will be eight synchronised diving teams in each event, including the team of the host country.
Key tournaments to compete for team quotas are as follows:
Three teams per event - 20th FINA World Championships Fukuoka 2023 - Olympic Games Qualification (Phase 1)
The three highest placing teams, excluding the host country, shall earn a quota spot for their NOC.
Four teams per event: 21st FINA World Championships Doha 2024 - Olympic Games Qualification (Phase 3)
The four highest placed teams that have not yet obtained a quota place will earn a quota for their NOC.
One Team per event - Host country
The host country is guaranteed one team in each synchronised diving event, four women and four men for a maximum total of up to eight athletes.
What is the Paris 2024 diving competition format and schedule?
The Olympic diving competition consists of 3 metre springboard events (men/women) and 10 metre platform events (men/women). Both will be separated by individual events and synchronised events.
In total, there will be eight sets of medals on offer for divers at Paris 2024.
The Paris 2024 diving competition will take place between 27 July and 10 August at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.
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Divers to watch at Paris 2024
Divers from China have dominated the sport over the past years and the same will be expected at Paris 2024.
At Tokyo 2020, the then 20-year-old WANG Zongyuan won gold in the men’s synchronised 3m springboard and silver in the individual event. He recently became the first diver to win three golds in a single edition of the world championships when he competed in Budapest. It is expected that Wang Zongyuan will compete together with multiple-medalist CAO Yuan in the men’s springboard events (both individual and synchronised) on the road to Paris 2024.
In the women’s springboard events, China has won gold in all events since Seoul 1988 while maintaining the same record in the synchronised 3m springboard since Athens 2004.
After the retirements of Tokyo 2020 gold medalists, SHI Tingmao and WANG Han, CHEN Yiwen and CHANG Yani will carry the baton for China in springboard events for Paris 2024.
Both Chen and Chang passed the first test in Budapest by winning the gold in the synchronised event with gold/bronze finishes in the individual event.
In the platform events, watch out for Olympic individual champion QUAN Hongchan (individual event) and CHEN Yuxi, who won gold in the synchronised event alongside ZHANG Jiaqi and silver in the individual event. And don’t forget ZHANG Jiaqi, who will be constantly challenging the duo for a place in the Chinese team for Paris 2024.
The only gold medal that the Chinese diving team failed to claim at Tokyo 2020 went to British pair Tom Daley and Matty Lee. Four-time Olympian Daley, who won a gold and bronze at Tokyo 2020, is currently taking a yearlong break but is expected to be back for Paris.
Of the young stars to watch, 15-year-old TAMAI Rikuto of Japan made his world championships debut in Budapest, winning the silver medal in the individual 10m platform event.
Also keep an eye on Ukraine’s Oleksiy Sereda, who showed maturity beyond his years to make the 10m platform final at just 15 years old, and eventually finished in the sixth position in his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
Diving qualification timeline to Paris 2024
July 2023: Olympic Games Qualification (Phase 1) - 20th FINA World Championships Fukuoka 2023
October/November 2023: Americas - Pan Americas Games in Santiago (CHI)
TBC: European Diving Championships
TBC: Asian Diving Cup
TBC: Oceania Diving Championships
TBC: African Diving Qualifier
February 2024: Olympic Games Qualification (Phase 3) - 21st FINA World Championships Doha 2024
Two weeks after the Olympic Games Qualification Phase 3: FINA to inform NOCs of their allocated quota places
Two weeks after the previous step: NOCs to confirm the use of allocated quota places to FINA
June 2024: FINA to reallocate all unused quota places
June 2024: NOCs to confirm the use of reallocated quota place and all names to FINA
TBC: Paris 2024 Sport Entries deadline
TBC: Team Leaders meeting
8 July 2024: Paris 2024 Sport Entries deadline
26 July - 11 August 2024: Olympic Games Paris 2024
Find out more about the qualification system for other sports that will feature at Paris 2024.