Swimming Discussion | Qualification to Summer Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 Road to LA 2028

[rafalgorka 1,821]

8 hours ago, Josh said:

For those of you that are too lazy to click on the article: 12 qualified relay teams per event instead of the usual 16, and the top 6 in each of the stroke 50s at the 2027 World Cup qualify for the Olympics. 

I am a Very lazy guy. More posts like this please 😉

[Faramir 515]

Quote

Quotas

The quotas wouldn’t normally be the lead angle on a qualification system, but for swimming the topic was pervasive throughout the conversation.

I like it when they think their sport is the exception, the athlete quota has been the main point of every qualification system for decades.

[Orangehair43 315]

 will not be happy.  The new rules change their strategy making it harder for them to decline relay spots. 

[Orangehair43 315]

9 hours ago, Josh said:

For those of you that are too lazy to click on the article: 12 qualified relay teams per event instead of the usual 16, and the top 6 in each of the stroke 50s at the 2027 World Cup qualify for the Olympics. 

But countries with so many swimmers can also enter that relay and they expect at least some relays to have more than 16 taking part. 

[NearPup 4,184]

On 9/16/2025 at 6:41 AM, Orangehair43 said:

But countries with so many swimmers can also enter that relay and they expect at least some relays to have more than 16 taking part. 

That actually makes a lot more sense than setting the number firmly at 16.

 

Only change I really dislike is that there is no time cut for the stroke 50s. Otherwise I think these are all positive or neutral changes.

Edited September 24, 2025 by NearPup

[Topicmaster1010 6,598]

3 hours ago, NearPup said:

That actually makes a lot more sense than setting the number firmly at 16.

 

Only change I really dislike is that there is no time cut for the stroke 50s. Otherwise I think these are all positive or neutral changes.

I dislike that the entry standards are being set at the 14th fastest entry time compared to the 14th fastest time in heats. It makes the qualifying times significantly harder. It probably won't affect the big nations all that much but could have a significant impact on the 2nd tier countries that would usually be able to qualify a handful of swimmers but could only be looking at 1-2 per gender here.

 

But I guess that's what happens when your quotas keep getting cut and you continue to want each country to have 1 universality athlete per gender.

[JoshMartini007 2,864]

Yeah, entry standards don't really matter due to the quota limit. World Aquatics could have prioritize people based on points during the qualification period and keep adding swimmers until the max quota is hit and achieved the same purpose.

[erw 101]

Multiple (nearly 10)  Swimming korean records were broke during 106th national sports festival in Korea.

Hwang Sun-Woo, who was 4th in the WCh 2025 Free 200m, entered 1min 43s (1:43.92).

This broke Sun Yang's old Asian record (1:44.39) and Hwang's previous KR (1:44.40, 2023 Asian Games)

Also, Hwang broke IM 200m KR (1:57.66). 

 

In Free 100m, Kim young-beom recorded 47.39 (Hwang's previous KR 47.56 in 2020 olympics)

 

Also..

Sua Moon, Women's Breast 200m (WJCh 2025 Champion) , 2:23.21 

Ju-Ho Lee, Back 200m (9th in WCh 2025 by 1:55.70 previous KR) , 1:55.60

Dong-Yeol Choi, Breast 50m (15th in Wch 2025 27.05 / previous KR in Asian Games 26.93), 26.75 

 

+ Jae-Hoon Yang, Fly 100m, 51.29 

+ 2 KR in women freestyle 400 & 800m,...

 

 

[Topicmaster1010 6,598]

 Yu Zidi 2:07.41 200m IM Asian Record at the Chinese National Games. Just recently turned 13 years old.

[phelps 8,730]

The Colorado Springs Athletic Center will be closed to foreigners in 2028 to protect Americans at the Olympic Games

Michael Phelps disagrees with the decision

 

The US Olympic Committee will no longer allow foreign swimmers to use the Colorado Springs Athletic Center, but only in 2028, to protect the interests of American swimmers ahead of the Olympics.

 

CEO Kevin Ring revealed that there is a rule prohibiting foreign swimmers from entering the high-performance center starting in 2028.

 

This is due to several reports and complaints received by USA Swimming, highlighting how US coaches are working with foreign swimmers to beat Americans on their home turf, at their own Olympics.

 

In 2029, after the California Olympics, the doors of the athletic center are expected to reopen to foreigners, but with much higher rates than the current ones ($125/night).

 

Michael Phelps, who had previously criticized the US Swimming Federation along with Ryan Lochte, has also intervened in the matter.

 

During the World Championships in Singapore: "What are our real goals? I grew up training with all athletes, including foreigners. We've never discriminated against anyone in our team."

 

Phelps was coached by Bob Bowman (who recently completed a 24-day training camp with his team, composed primarily of foreign swimmers), and therefore defends his mentor and the team's philosophy.

 

USA Swimming also emphasized that other high-performance sports centers (such as the one in Flagstaff, Arizona) will have no difficulty hosting training camps for foreign national teams who request them.

 

The issue of foreign swimmers in the US is becoming very sensitive in light of America's dominance, which has significantly weakened in recent years (recall when in Omaha, during the 2008 and 2012 trials, Dave Salo secretly coached Japan's Kitajima, at different times than the American swimmers on his team).

 

Is the "America first" philosophy a new form of protectionism in swimming too?

 

Meanwhile, foreign athletes help colleges win and make money in the NCAA system.

 

Colorado Springs's view, therefore, seems hypocritical, opportunistic, and arrogant.

 

 

from an Italian Swimming blog, related to a Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper's journalist

Edited December 29, 2025 by phelps