Swimmers around the world are responding to World Aquatics’ announcement that 50m sprints of each stroke will be part of the 2028 Olympic Games official program.
This announcement has been building up for some time, with the world aquatics governing body having submitted a request last August for 50s of backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly to be added to the Olympic schedule. The events were already at every World Championships but had never been part of the Olympic program until now.
British multi-Olympic champion Adam Peaty, who is bypassing this year’s World Championships, was one of the first elite athletes to respond to the announcement.
Via Instagram, the world record holder stated, “50m Sprint Events have just been added to @la28games which confirms my attempt to be at my Fourth Olympic Games.
“This is the best result for our incredible sport and will allow more people to be part of it and stay in it much longer. Thank you @world_aquatics for this amazing decision.
I’ve got a good feeling about these next three years 🏆”
Reigning 50m fly world record holder Andrii Govorov also expressed his excitement, emotionally stating, “All my life I was hunting that World Record, I was craving for that speed and I got it.
“But I never had a chance to compete my masterpiece at Olympics, always tried to grind that 50 free, today everything’s changed: @olympics added 50m strokes at their @la28games program.
Dreams coming true.”
Although the 50m freestyle event has been on the Olympic program since 1988, Brazilian bronze medalist from the 2020 Games, Bruno Fratus, told me, “Finally!”
We’ll be capturing more elite athletes’ responses to the 50’s addition as we are made aware.
Yesss.. finally
I wonder if a bunch of retired athletes will return to Olympic trials just to race the 50s.
I wonder if you can get away with less training for these events… nevertheless they are still tough to win and do well.
How will this affect Lebrons legacy?
This is further devaluing the old sport of swimming. Wow, how extremely uninteresting to watch. A start, some hurried underwater spasms, some frantic splashing which you can’t see through, and then 4 people all finishing within 0.09 secs of each other, pretty randomly. These events are not about *swimming*; this is a circus for lazy tall people who find it too physically and mentally demanding to train more than 20k a week. An Olympic celebration of shortcuts.
Sounds like you’re a bitter distance swimmer
Agree 100%. Last thing swimming needs.
How will this affect roster sizes?
Shaine Casas posted on MA’s Insta “This is great. Now we can swim forever.” Indeed, with addition of stroke 50s competitive and olympic swimming is now a geriatric sport. What a joke and downgrade to the sport to add the 50s. Will only serve lazy people like MA who just want to dive in and swim a mere couple meters. Sport’s going to lose even more viewers by making it so easy for people like MA to make a team when he can’t even swim more than 50 meters w/out conking out.
I wish that they had the 50’s of stroke back when I swam
Now I react. This Is Exciting news. Speed is power and Power is Speed (like a Yamaha 5000 Jet Ski). I’m power, I’m speed, and now the 50s Are Two.
Randy
As a Side note. I just received A Petty Misdemeanor for reckless Boating. The Kids were in My way though.
Randy
Two what ?