At long last, equality has come to elite swimming. At least, at the Olympic Games. While most programs that previously just referred to “Olympic events,” including the USA Swimming National Team and the Pan Pac Championships have been updated to include both distance races for both genders, short course still has a ways to go.
The 2017 European Short Course Championships didn’t include the new races, although by the time the new races were announced, the schedule for that meet was already set. In December of 2018, the Short Course World Championships in Hangzhou, China also won’t feature the race either.
That doesn’t mean that the schedule hasn’t changed, however. In fact, the schedule is drastically different in 2018 than it was in 2016. The meet is still run over 6 days, but with very different event lineups.
For example, the men’s 200 fly has moved from day 1 of the meet to day 6, as did the 200 free. The men’s 200 IM moved from day 1 to day 2. The Day 1 schedule got significantly shorter, while the rest of the sessions generally got longer.
Summary of day changes (some events have switched orders as well):
| Event | Schedule Day in 2016 | Schedule Day in 2018 |
| W. 200 fly | 1 | 6 |
| W. 200 free | 1 | 6 |
| M. 200 IM | 1 | 2 |
| W.800 Free Relay | 5 | 1 |
| W. 400 Free Relay | 1 | 5 |
| W. 100 IM | 3 | 2 |
| M. 200 breast | 3 | 4 |
| W. 200 IM | 5 | 4 |
There’s also one peculiarity on the schedule – the women’s 50 freestyle his listed twice on Day 5 in prelims – once as the 2nd event of the session and once as the 6th event. This may just be a typo, one is not the semi-finals (those happen in the evening on day 5), or it could be a new ‘swimmers’ choice’ opportunity for the event, depending on what other races they have in the session (like the 400 free relay near its end, or the 100 fly in the middle of the session). We’ve asked FINA for explanation, but have not heard back.
FINA made an error, and has updated the schedule, confirming that the 50 free will only be swum once. The amended schedule has been updated the above.
The 2019 Pan American Games schedule does not include the newest Olympic distance events, either, though they did add a mixed medley.
I suppose we should not be totally surprised….adding all stroke 50m, mixed relays and 800mM and 1500mW into the same time frame, somethings gotta give.
They should just add an extra day to the program.
I cringe, do they let a 5 year old pick the event order.
Men’s 200free
Men’s 200IM
On same day ? Mixed with 100fly?
Yeah because none of the best swimmers have ever given all these events ago.
And day 3? 50bk 50free and 100IM for men?
Yeah sprinters never swim these events.
Poor schedule, very poor.
Womens 50 fr, 100fly and 4×100 relay all in the same session too.
freestyle relay*