SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers what stood out to them the most from the new Olympic qualifying rules:
Question: What is your biggest takeaway from the new Olympic qualifying system?
RESULTS
- Stroke 50s need to be treated like every other event (or don’t add them) – 33.4%
- Stroke 50s was a bad idea – 23.5%
- 200 semi-finals need to go – 20.0%
- Swimming quota just needs to be bigger – 14.7%
- Universality slots may need to decrease if swimming quota is also down – 6.3%
- New qualifying standards are *fast* – 2.0%
With the swimming quota decreasing for the 2028 Olympics while six new events are added to the program, World Aquatics has put forward a new qualifying system for the LA Games.
Most notably, the men’s and women’s 50 backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, the six new events added to the schedule in April, will only be eligible to be qualified in at the 2027 World Cup, and the rest of the spots will be filled by swimmers already qualified for the Games in other events.
In addition to that, the qualifying time standards will be faster for LA, there will be fewer automatic relay entries, and athletes at the Games will be eligible to race an unlimited number of events provided they don’t violate the two-per-country rule.
But the biggest reaction to the news revolved around the stroke 50s. Initially, when it was announced that the 50s were being added to the Olympics, it was thought that they could serve as a career extender of sorts, allowing older swimmers to stay in the sport longer, as those in their late 20s/early 30s tend to be able to stay more competitive in the pure sprints.
However, under this new qualifying process, with the World Cup being the only way to qualify for a stroke 50 race (outside of qualifying in a different event and then entering a stroke 50), that may no longer be the case.
When asked what they took away from the new qualifying procedure, just over a third of readers said they think the stroke 50s need to be treated like every other event, or don’t have them at all.
The next-highest option, coming in at 23.5%, simply believes the stroke 50s were a bad idea. By adding six new events while seeing the swimming quota drop to 830 (from 852 in Paris), World Aquatics was forced to implement this new qualifying system to allow for some stroke 50 qualifiers while maintaining the competitive integrity of the meet and allowing for universality slots.
Another constant conversation around the swimming program at the Games is the semi-finals of the 200-meter events, and how they’re not necessary with a jam-packed nine-day schedule. They don’t have 200 semis at Short Course Worlds, for example, and 20% readers believe they should be removed from the Olympics.
In order for the stroke 50 qualifying process to be changed and them to be treated like other events, the swimming quota will need to increase, and 14.7% of readers voted for that option in the poll.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Will the NCAA be slower this season?
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
I’m curious to how swimmers will consider the 50 strokes in their event line up because the national team roster size isn’t being increased.