How to qualify for swimming at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

Swimming has a long and rich history in the modern Olympic Games, having first appeared on the programme at Athens 1896. Women’s competitions were added at Stockholm 1912, where female competitors competed in just two events.

At Paris 2024, women and men will be eligible to compete in the exact same programmes, as was the case at Tokyo 2020.

Find out everything you need to know about the pathway to qualification below.

How many athletes will compete in swimming at Paris 2024?

A total of 852 athletes will compete in swimming at Paris 2024 with a maximum of 26 quotas for men and 26 for women available to each NOC. For both the men’s and women’s competitions, each NOC will be eligible for a maximum quota of two athletes per individual event and one relay team per relay event.

At present, the number of Universality places has not yet been determined, however it is understood that all NOCs that enter and compete in the FINA World Championships will have the opportunity to compete at Paris 2024.

Quota places are allocated by name to athletes in individual events and to NOCs in relay events.

What is the qualification pathway to Paris 2024?

A four-point order of priority has been established for qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024:

1. All athletes with an Olympic Qualification Time (OQT)

2. Athletes in relays (relay-only athletes)

3. Universality places

4. Invited athletes who have achieved an Olympic Consideration Time (OCT)

Individual qualification

For all individual events the Olympic Qualification Time and Olympic Consideration Time will be taken into account, with the latter slightly easier to achieve.

Standard entry times can only be achieved from 1 March 2023 to 23 June 2024, based on a calendar of events that will be defined by FINA.

Athletes who achieve the OQT in a particular event will immediately qualify for the event in Paris 2024, provided the maximum quota per event for their NOC has not been exceeded.

NOCs can enter two athletes in an event, but only if both athletes have achieved the OQT.

Following the end of the qualification period and in the event the total number of 852 athletes is not reached after the top three categories of the above order of priority, athletes who have equalled or bettered the OCT will be invited to compete in the Games until the full quota of 852 is reached.

Read the section on individual qualification on the IOC website for a full breakdown of the invitation process.

Relay qualification

A maximum of 16 qualified teams will compete in each Paris 2024 relay event with each NOC only able to enter one team in each relay event.

Three NOCs per relay event will be qualified for the corresponding Paris 2024 event based on the final results of the 20th FINA World Championships 2022 in Fukuoka, Japan in July 2023. In the event of a tie for third place, all NOCs involved in the tie will be invited to compete at Paris 2024.

The remaining 13 teams per event will be allocated based on the results achieved in the preliminary heat performances at the 21st FINA World Championships 2024 in Doha, Qatar, excluding teams already qualified from the 20th FINA World Championships 2022. If there was a tie for third place at the 20th FINA World Championships 2022 in Fukuoka only 12 teams from the 21st FINA World Championships 2024 competing in the event will be invited to compete at Paris 2024.

In the event of a tie for third place at the 21st FINA World Championships 2024, all teams involved in the tie will take part in a swim-off to determine the final invitation.

All athletes entered in individual events can be used in relays, even if they have not achieved the OCT for the corresponding stroke and distance of the relay in which they are entered.

Universality places

NOCs without any qualified athlete or relay team may enter a maximum of two athletes - one woman and one man - in one event each. In addition, NOCs with no athletes who have achieved an OQT nor any athlete invited by FINA through the OCT may enter a maximum of one woman and one man, provided the athletes have competed in one or more of the 2022 and 2024 World Championships.

NOCs with a qualified athlete of one gender (through OQT or OCT) may enter one universality swimmer of the other gender. Furthermore, athletes with an OCT achieved who have not been invited via the OCT due to the maximum quota being reached may be invited through Universality Places.

Olympic Qualifying Time and Olympic Consideration Time standards for Paris 2024

What is the Paris 2024 swimming competition format and schedule?

The Paris 2024 swimming competition will take between 27 July and 4 August 2024 at the Paris La Défense Arena. A total of 35 events will be contested, broken up into heats, semifinals and finals.

The following events will be contested at the next Olympic Games in Paris:

• 50m Freestyle (women’s / men’s)

• 100m Freestyle (women’s / men’s)

• 200m Freestyle (women’s / men’s)

• 400m Freestyle (women’s / men’s)

• 800m Freestyle (women’s / men’s)

• 1500m Freestyle (women’s / men’s)

• 100m backstroke (women’s / men’s)

• 200m backstroke (women’s / men’s)

• 100m breaststroke (women’s / men’s)

• 200m breaststroke (women’s / men’s)

• 100m butterfly (women’s / men’s)

• 200m butterfly (women’s / men’s)

• 200m individual Medley (women’s / men’s)

• 400m individual Medley (women’s / men’s)

• 4x100m Freestyle Relay (women’s / men’s)

• 4x200m Freestyle Relay (women’s / men’s)

• 4x100m medley relay (women’s / men’s / mixed)

READ MORE: The competition schedule for Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been released

Swimmers to watch at Paris 2024

In the women’s competition, Australia produced some scintillating performances during the last edition of the Olympic Games, with Emma McKeon leaving Tokyo with four gold and three bronze medals, including the 50m and 100m freestyle titles.

Alongside her, Kaylee McKeown had a stellar Tokyo Games with three golds in the 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke and 4x100m medley, which she added to with gold in the 200m backstroke at this year’s World Championships. Another top swimmer in the Aussie ranks is Ariarne Titmus, who won Olympic gold in the 200m and 400m freestyle.

Canada’s 16-year-old Summer McIntosh claimed four medals at the 2022 Worlds, including gold in the 200m butterfly and 400m medley. Also watch out for the USA’s swimming superstar Katie Ledecky, winner of two golds at Tokyo 2020 and four at Rio 2016. She recently added a further four to her collection at the World Championships in Budapest.

Other names to keep a close eye on include Italy’s 17-year-old 100m breaststroke world champion Benedetta Pilato and Sweden’s multiple world record holder Sarah Sjostrom.

Turning to the men, veteran stars including the USA’s seven-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel, Italy’s 1500m freestyle world champion Gregorio Paltrinieri and Britain’s three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty will all be expected to shine at Paris 2024.

However, excitement is growing for new and emerging talents such as Romanian 18-year-old David Popovici - winner of the 100m and 200m freestyle golds at the last World Championships, France’s 20-year-old 200m and 400m IM world champion Leon Marchand, and Hungary’s 22-year-old Olympic 200m butterfly gold medallist Kristof Milak, who have all shown they are some of the brightest stars to watch in the lead-up to the next Olympic Games.

Swimming qualification timeline for Paris 2024

May 2022: FINA to confirm the qualification time standards for all events. Standards to be distributed to all NOCs

15 January 2023: List of qualification events to be established, published and updated on www.fina.org

1 March 2023 - 23 June 2024: Period to achieve qualification time standards for individual events

14 - 30 July 2023: 20th FINA World Championships 2022, Fukuoka (JPN)

2 - 18 February 2024: 21st FINA World Championships 2024, Doha (QAT)

3 June 2024: FINA to inform NOCs of qualified relay teams

7 June 2024: NOCs to confirm the participation of their relay teams to FINA

14 June 2024: FINA to reallocate unused relay teams' quotas

23 June 2024: End of period to achieve qualification time standards for individual events

24 June 2024: NOCs to confirm Relay-Only Athletes to FINA

24 June 2024: Deadline for NOCs to submit to FINA their application for Universality Places

3 July 2024: FINA to inform NOCs of OQT athletes and OCT athlete invitations

3 July 2024: FINA to confirm the allocation of Universality Places to NOCs

4 July 2024: NOCs to confirm use of OQT athletes and OCT athlete invitations to FINA

4 July 2024: NOCs to confirm the acceptance of Universality Places

5 July 2024: FINA to reallocate unused OCT athletes' invitations

By 5 July 2024: FINA to reallocate all unused quota places

By 5 July 2024: FINA to inform Paris 2024 Sports Entries Department of all allocated quota places

6 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.