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

Artistic swimming is one of two women-only sports at the Olympic Games, along with rhythmic gymnastics. Until 2017, it was called synchronised swimming, before being renamed by the sport’s international federation, FINA.

Despite being one of the most fascinating aquatic disciplines, artistic swimming was only added to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 1984.

Artistic swimmers combine high lung capacity and physical strength with the elegance of gymnastic elements and dance.

At the last edition of the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020, a total of 104 athletes competed with 10 spots for the teams and 22 for the duets.

At Paris 2024, the total number of athletes will be 96, for teams and duets combined, with host country France allocated eight quotas.

Find out what's new in artistic swimming and the qualification pathway for Paris 2024.

READ MORE: Paris 2024: The quest for Olympic qualification begins

How many artistic swimmers will compete at Paris 2024?

Artistic swimming is an all-women sport and the programme for Paris 2024 includes 96 athletes, eight fewer than at Tokyo 2020.

From this total, eight quotas (one team) are allocated to the organising NOC (France), leaving 88 available quotas for the rest of the NOCs.

Each NOC may qualify a maximum of eight athletes for the two events: a maximum of one team of eight athletes, and a maximum of one duet of two athletes, with NOCs qualified for the team and duet events eligible to enter a maximum of eight athletes.

The eligibility of athletes is subject to the requirement that they were born before 31 December 2009.

What is the qualification pathway to Paris 2024?

In Paris, the team competitions will include a contest between 10 teams, while there will be 18 duets in total, 10 of which will qualify through team qualifications.

The qualification route for teams is separated into two stages, the order of which is strictly chronological and not interchangeable:

• Five team quotas, for a total of 40 athletes, will be allocated via Continental Championships: the highest placed team in each Continental tournament will obtain a quota for the corresponding NOC, with the exception of the NOC of France, which, as the host country, will represent the European continent.

• Five team quotas, for a total of 40 athletes, will be allocated via the 21st FINA World Championships, in Doha (QAT): the five NOCs corresponding to the highest placed teams of the World Championships will be allocated a quota: the ranking will be based on the combined results of the routines. In the case an NOC has already qualified, the next highest placed NOC will receive the quota.

The qualification route for duets follows three stages. The stages will be held separately and their order is strictly chronological and not interchangeable. There will be a total of 18 duets, 10 of which will qualify through team qualification.

• 10 Duets - Team qualification: The 10 NOCs (including France) that qualify teams will automatically qualify one duet.

• Five Duets - Continental Championships (with Europe represented by France as the host country): The highest ranked NOC in each of the five Continental tournaments will each obtain a quota place. In the case a duet has already qualified through the team process, eligibility passes to the next highest placed duet.

• Remaining quotas - 21st FINA World Championships, in Doha (QAT): All remaining quotas (for a maximum of 18) will be allocated through the final ranking of the 21st FINA World Championships in Doha.

READ MORE: Tickets for Paris 2024: what's new

What is the Paris 2024 artistic swimming competition schedule?

The Paris 2024 artistic swimming events will be hosted at the Aquatics Centre**, one of only two permanent facilities (together with the Le Bourget Climbing Wall)** built for the Paris 2024 Games. Along with artistic swimming, the venue will host the diving, water polo and swimming competitions.

The five artistic swimming events will be contested between 5 and 10 August 2024:

• Free duets
• Technical duets
• Finale duets
• Free teams
• Technical teams

READ MORE: Olympic Games Paris 2024 sports calendar released

Artistic swimmers to watch at Paris 2024

Japan is one of the most successful nations in artistic swimming history, with 14 medals - the most in history - despite never having won gold. They are sure to be one of the favourites for Paris 2024.

Spain have first-hand experience of the Japanese tradition, having entrusted the technical leadership of the team to coach Mayuko Fujiki, who stated in an interview with Olympics.com before Tokyo 2020: "Our goal is not to win a medal at this Olympics. That's something we have in mind for Paris." The Spanish team have already begun to make good on their potential, as proven by the bronze medal they won in the Highlight at Budapest 2022.

While People’s Republic of China are also traditionally strong, the 20th FiNA World Championships in Budapest showed that teams such as Italy, Ukraine and Greece continue to prove they are ones to watch in the build-up to the upcoming Games.

Almost every event at the World Artistic Swimming Championships was won by swimmers from one of those four NOCs, with Austria (bronze in technical duet and free duet) and Spain (team highlight) the only other teams to make it onto the podium.

Artistic swimming qualification timeline to Paris 2024

• TBA: Europe Continental Championships
• 20 October – 5 November 2023: Americas Continental Championships, 2023 Pan American Games, Santiago, Chile
• TBA: African, Asian and Oceania Continental Championships
• 2-18 February 2024: - 21st FINA World Championships – Doha (QAT)
• 2 weeks after the Olympic Games Qualification event: FINA to inform NOCs/NFs of their allocated quota places
• 2 weeks after the previous step: NOCs/NFs to confirm use of allocated quota places to FINA
• TBA: FINA to reallocate all unused quota places
• 8 July 2024: Paris 2024 Sport Entries Deadline
• TBC: Technical meeting
• 26 July-11 August 2024: Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Find out more about the qualification system for other sports that will feature at Paris 2024.