Olympic swimming rules: How can swimmers qualify for finals and win medals - format explained

Swimming is a sport that boasts a rich history at the modern Olympic Games, having featured at every edition since Athens 1896.

The inaugural Games saw competitions only in men’s freestyle swimming. The backstroke events were added at Paris 1900, breaststroke at St. Louis 1904 and butterfly at Melbourne 1956.

All four swimming strokes, along with the medley, are part of the programme at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Having been contested in open water bodies for the first three Olympic Games, swimming events were held in the swimming pool for the first time at London 1908, a tradition that continues to this day.

Women’s swimming events were added to the Olympic programme at Stockholm 1912.

Overall, swimmers from the United States have dominated the Olympic pool and boast 580 Olympic medals, including 256 golds. Australia are second with a tally of 221 medals, including 71 golds.

USA’s Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. With 23 gold medals, three silvers and two bronzes, Phelps has won more than twice as many golds as his nearest rival and compatriot Mark Spitz, a nine-time Olympic gold medallist.

Swimming at Paris 2024 Olympics

A total of 854 athletes – 463 male and 391 female – from 187 countries, the Individual Neutral Athletes and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team competed at the Paris 2024 swimming events from July 27 to August 4 at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Each country could send at least two athletes to Paris through their NOC. Five countries – Dominica, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Vanuatu – made their Olympic swimming debuts at Paris 2024.

Swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympics consisted of individual events, team relay events (men and women separately) and a 4x100m medley relay for mixed teams. There were 35 events in total (17 women's, 17 men's and one mixed event). Each offered its own set of gold, silver and bronze medals.

Since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the women’s and men’s programmes have been identical.

Swimming events at Paris 2024 Olympics

Freestyle (men and women)

• 50m
• 100m
• 200m
• 400m
• 800m
• 1500m

Backstroke (men and women)

• 100m
• 200m

Breaststroke (men and women)

• 100m
• 200m

Butterfly (men and women)

• 100m
• 200m

Individual medley (men and women)

• 200m
• 400m

Team (men and women)

• 4x100m freestyle relay
• 4x200m freestyle relay
• 4x100m medley relay

Mixed event

• 4x100m medley relay

Paris 2024 Olympics swimming rules

Swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympics was held per the rules of the World Aquatics Constitution and Rules and the Olympic Charter.

The criteria for ranking in any swimming event was the same. The swimmer who completed the course legally in the least amount of time finished first and the rest were ordered according to their timings - quickest to slowest.

Individual events of 50m, 100m and 200m consisted of heats, semi-finals and finals. The top 16 swimmers from the heats advanced to the semi-finals and the top eight from the semis advanced to the finals, where medals were decided.

Individual events of 400m, 800m, 1500m and the team relay events consisted of two phases - heats and finals. The top eight athletes or teams advanced from the heats to the final.

For all single-gender relay events, a team consisted of four athletes. For the mixed relay event, a team consisted of two men and two women.

Heats for all events took place in morning sessions. Semi-finals, finals and victory ceremonies took place in evening sessions.

Tiebreak rules

For individual events of 200m or less, ties for the last qualification or reserve position (from heats and semi-finals) could be broken by swim-offs. In longer distance events and relays, if athletes or teams are tied for the last qualification place, all tied athletes or teams will take part in the final (maximum of 10 lanes). If more than three athletes or teams are tied for the last qualification place, a swim-off could be held. There are no other tie-breaking rules for ranking.

Penalties/disqualification rules

The most common reasons for individual disqualification in swimming are false starts and illegal touches or kicks in breaststroke or butterfly.

In relays, a common infraction is an early start during the exchange as detected by the automatic judging equipment. Video technology was initially introduced to confirm or overturn infraction reports made from the pool deck. It is now also used to initiate infraction reports.

Protests/appeals

Protests may be filed against decisions taken by referees. Protests are accepted up to 30 minutes after the publication of the phase results of the event concerned or in the case of a video review, up to 30 minutes after the video review has taken place. The jury of appeal is the World Aquatics Bureau.

Differences between Swimming World Championships and Olympics

Some events are conducted at the Swimming World Championships that are not in the Olympics. These are 50m butterfly, 50m breaststroke and 50m backstroke for men and women, and a mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.

Olympic swimming pool size

The Olympic-sized swimming pools are 50-metre long and 25-metre wide with 10 lanes. As per World Aquatics, lanes shall be 2.5 metres wide with two spaces of 2.5 metres wide outside of lanes 1 and 8. The outside lanes are left empty to minimise the disadvantage caused by waves bouncing back off the side walls. There must be a rope separating each lane.

The 50-metre pool is typically referred to as a long-course swimming pool, distinguishing it from short course which applies to competitions in pools that are 25 metres in length.

Venue for swimming events at Paris 2024

Paris La Defense Arena was the venue for swimming events for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The swimming pool at the venue is an Olympic-size 50-metre pool with 10 lanes. Swimming events were held in the eight central lanes. Lanes zero and nine were used in the case of a tie.

Swimming terminologies

• Call room: A room to which the athletes report before the race for final equipment checks and preparation.
• Exchange: Occurs during relays when one athlete touches the wall and the next athlete dives in.
• False start: Occurs when an athlete initiates a start before the starter officially starts the race.
• Flip/tumble/turn: Used in freestyle and backstroke races, where athletes somersault before reaching the wall and push off with their feet, never touching the wall with their hands.
• Lane lines/ropes: The dividers used to create lanes.
• Lead-off athlete: The first athlete in a relay.
• Leg: The portion of a relay swum by one team member.
• Negative split: A race strategy in which a competitor swims the second half faster than the first.
• Reaction time: The elapsed time between the starting signal of the race and the time the athlete leaves the starting block, or touchpad in backstroke races.
• Reserve: The two non-qualifying athletes/teams with the fastest times are potential replacements for any qualifier that is unable to, or chooses not to, swim in the next round.
• Splits: Intermediate times within a race.
• Starting blocks: An elevated platform on the deck at the end of a lane from which the athlete starts an event, except in backstroke events when athletes start in the water.
• Swimming strokes: There are four strokes - Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Individual medley is made up of equal portions of four strokes in the order of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
• Swim-off: An extra race used to determine which athletes or relay teams will advance to the semifinals, or final, in the case of a tie for the last qualifying position(s). A swim-off may also be held to determine reserve positions.
• Touchpad: An electronic panel that is placed into the water at the end of a lane to record an athlete's intermediate or final time in an event.
• Video judging: Overhead and underwater cameras around the competition pool, used by the referee and appointed judges to confirm and initiate rule-infraction reports.