How to qualify for marathon swimming at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained
A total of six medals will be distributed across two events in the Paris 2024 marathon swimming competition, which first featured on the Olympic programme at Beijing 2008. Athletes from the Netherlands have dominated this open water event that will be held at the next Olympics in the Seine River in the heart of the French capital.
Marathon swimming was introduced to the Olympic programme at Beijing 2008 and has since been ever-present at the Games. The event is held in open waters and swimmers are required to finish first after completing a 10km route to be declared Olympic champion. Strategy, resistance, positioning and mastery of the waves are all required to dominate the race.
Swimmers from all over the world will attempt to put those skills into practice in two competitions that will give them the chance to earn a spot at Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Find out everything you need to know about the pathway to qualification below.
How many athletes will compete in marathon swimming at Paris 2024?
In total, 22 athletes of each gender will compete in marathon swimming (44 in total). This is six less than Tokyo 2020, where 25 swimmers competed in each of the men's a women's events.
A maximum of two quotas per National Olympic Committee (NOC) per gender can be earned, with no Universality places on offer
One quota for each gender is reserved for the host country. However, those places will only be allocated if an athlete from France does not obtain the quota during the qualification process.
What is the marathon swimming qualification pathway to Paris 2024?
Marathon swimmers will have two chances to qualify for Paris 2024: the 2023 and 2024 FINA World Championships.
Quotas will be attributed to the athletes as well as to the National Olympic Committees (NOC).
2023 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan
During the 2023 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, three quotas per gender will be available.
The top three of both genders in the 10km event will earn a qualification invitation for Paris 2024. In the case of a tie for 3rd position, all athletes involved in the tie will receive a quota.
In this competition, quota places will be attributed by name.
2024 FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar
During the 2024 FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar, the top 13 of both gender in the 10km event will obtain a quota place for their NOC.
Athletes who qualified during the 2023 FINA World Championships will count as one quota for their respective NOCs. If they finish in the top 13 of the 2023 FINA World Championships, the next highest-placed athlete will receive a quota place for their NOC.
In the event of a tie for third place at the 2023 FINA World Championships with more than three quota places attributed, the number of quota places to the NOCs during the 2024 FINA World Championships will be changed accordingly. For instance, if four athletes win a quota at the 2023 FINA World Championships, only 12 quotas will be available at the 2024 FINA World Championships.
If the host country has already achieved its quota in the 2023 or 2024 FINA World Championships, the next highest-placed athlete from the 2024 FINA World Championships will receive a quota place for their NOC.
During this competition, five quota places per gender will be attributed as part of the continental representation. The highest placed athlete of the 10km event from each of the five continents will qualify a quota place for their respective NOC. Only one athlete per continent shall qualify from this point.
In the event that the host country did not obtain a quota place after those two competitions, it will automatically qualify one male and one female athlete from the 2024 FINA World Championships.
Find out more about the Marathon swimming qualification system
What is the Paris 2024 marathon swimming competition format and schedule?
One event per gender will be held in marathon swimming: 10km open water. The first swimmer to touch the finish plate is declared Olympic champion.
The marathon swimming event will start in the Seine river, under the Pont Alexandre III, located between Grand Palais and Les Invalides, which are both Olympic venues. Competitions will be held on 8 August (women's) and 9 August (men's) at 7:30am CET.
Marathon swimmers to watch at Paris 2024
Traditionally, Dutch swimmers have dominated marathon swimming, with Maarten van der Weijden the first Olympic champion in the men’s event, and Ferry Weertman and Sharon van Rouwendaal winning both events in Rio 2016.
Van Rouwendaal, who is 29 years old, took silver at Tokyo 2020, won the 2022 World Championships and will attempt to regain the title at Paris 2024.
Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil won the gold medal in Tokyo, coming home over a second ahead of Van Rouwendaal, and claimed bronze at the 2022 World Championships. She also won the non-Olympic distance 5 and 25km events and is aiming to become the first swimmer - male or female - to win consecutive Olympic golds.
Aurélie Muller from France, who was the silver medallist at both Rio 2016 and the 2022 World Championships, will be hoping to shine on home waters after missing out on a spot at Tokyo 2020 by less than a second. Her teammate Lara Grangeon, who finished 9th in Tokyo, also has an outside chance of winning.
On the men’s side, Florian Wellbrock from Germany won the title at Tokyo 2020, after clinching gold at the 2019 World Championships in the marathon swimming and 1,500m events. The 25-year-old may well face the challenge of his main rival, Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, who won bronze in the 10km in Tokyo as well as silver in the 800m event. He also won gold in the 10km at the 2022 World Championships where Wellbrock had to settle for bronze. Paltrinieri’s teammate Domenico Acerenza won silver in Budapest at the 2022 World Championships and will be among the favourites at Paris 2024.
France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier, a bronze medalist from Rio 2016, silver medallist at the 2019 World Championships but only 6th at Tokyo 2020, will also be one to watch.
Marathon swimming qualification timeline to Paris 2024
- 14-30 July 2023: 20th FINA World Championships - Fukuoka (JPN)
- 2-18 February 2024: 21st FINA World Championships - Doha (QAT)
- Within five days after the previous step: FINA to inform NOCs of their qualified athletes
- Two weeks after the previous step: The NOCs to confirm to FINA the use of the allocated quota places
- Three weeks after the Olympic Games Qualification event: FINA to reallocate all unused quota places
- 8 July 2024: Paris 2024 Sport Entries deadline
- TBC: Technical meeting
- 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.