World Aquatics announced today that the 50s of stroke are officially being added to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
LA2028 WELCOMES NEW 50M EVENTS 🏊♂️🏊♀️
50m Freestyle, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Backstroke are added to the Olympic program.#Swimming will feature 41 medal events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games!#Olympics #LA2028 pic.twitter.com/zkhPbOK9KE
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) April 9, 2025
This decision comes after World Aquatics submitted a request in August for 50s of backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly to be added to the Olympic schedule. These events are already competed at every World Championships, but they have never been a part of the Olympic Schedule before now.
As of now, there is no indication about whether the 26 athlete per gender roster limit is being increased, or if there will be more days added to an already nine-day meet to accommodate six more events.
The way World Aquatics handles the additional events at World Championship meets is by swimming more events every day to account for the additional events.
The addition of these events brings the swimming medal count to 41 total medal events from the 35 events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and the overall aquatics count (including artistic swimming, water polo, diving, and open water) to 55 medal events, more than any other sport.
World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam said “Today’s decision is a testament to the continued evolution of swimming at the Olympic Games. Including these six new events enhances the programme’s balance and adds more opportunities for athletes to showcase their skills on the world’s biggest stage.”
Former swimmer Kirsty Coventry was announced as the president of the IOC last month, and according to World Aquatics, the IOC executive board “unanimously endorsed the proposal.”
I hope we see some of the greats of our sport returning to try to make the team in the 50’s! Natalie Coughlin? Matt Grevers? Lochte? Franklin?
I hope we see some of the greats of our sport returning to try to make the team in the 50’s! Natalie Coughlin? Matt Grevers? Lochte?
So if they actually drop the 200 semis because of this, should they do same day finals or next day finals?
Wouldn’t make sense to put 200 rounds on different days unless they do the same with 400s and I’m not sure I like that because I think being able to back up after the heat swim is part of the challenge of those particular events.
I’m curious to how Phelps and Lochte would have done in the 50s.
As for Michael Andrew this might be his day.
Lochte maybe could have held his own in the 50 Back and Fly. Phelps no way.
The main argument I have against the devaluing of the olympic medal is all of the other sports that have been added to the olympics in the past few olympics (I mean, breakdancing? Come on.). I honestly think if you cut down on some of the “non-sports” and focus on adding new events/evolved ways of performing events to the main sports like swimming, track, etc., the problem of medal inflation wouldn’t exist to as great a degree. Sure, Phelps won 8 golds, and this would make it easier for an individual to accomplish something like that, but I think overall the addition of stroke 50s makes the sport more fun and digestible for the average viewer (see 100m dash as… Read more »
Hawke about to throw a party and come out and reaffirm that he is the best coach in world. I wonder what new merchandise he is going launch and what swimmers he will sca… I mean convince to join his team.
im waiting for all of the old gold medalists to come out of retirement now lol
Add 400 Back, Fly and Breast!! It would be terrible for the swimmers but incredibly entertaining to see how can outrun the piano the longest!
And make it a condition that to qualify for the 50 stroke sprints, you have to swim the 400 stoke events at least once that year 😉
that would honestly be incredible!!!! I wanna see who dies first