With more than three years to go until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, swimming is already making history as six new sprint medal events are added to the Olympic sports programme.
LAUSANNE—World Aquatics achieved a significant milestone for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board officially approved adding six new events—the men’s and women’s 50m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly—to the LA28 Olympic sports programme.
This decision follows last week’s approval by the Olympic Programme Commission of World Aquatics’ proposal to include all strokes in the 50m distance. On Wednesday, the IOC Executive Board unanimously endorsed the proposal, marking a significant expansion of Olympic swimming events.
With this move, swimming will feature 41 medal events at the Olympic Games for the first time, an increase from the 35 medal events at Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020. Across all five Olympic aquatic disciplines—swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water swimming—there will now be 55 medal events at LA28, the most ever for any sport at an Olympic Games.
World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam hailed the decision, calling it a ‘landmark moment for swimming and the Olympic Games.’
“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. We thank the IOC for their support in expanding Olympic swimming and can’t wait to watch these incredible athletes compete under the Southern California sky and stars in SoFi Stadium.”
One of the Core Four | Swimming’s Olympic History
Swimming has been part of the Olympic Games since the inaugural Athens 1896 edition. Swimming is one of only four sports contested at every Summer Olympics, alongside athletics, artistic gymnastics, and fencing.
Hungary’s Alfred Hajos became the first Olympic swimming champion, winning gold in the 100m freestyle. The first modern Athens Games featured three other men’s swimming events: the 100m freestyle for sailors, the 400m freestyle, and the 1200m freestyle. Until the London 1908 Games, all Olympic swimming events were held in open water.
Women made their Olympic swimming debut at the Stockholm 1912 Games. Australia’s Fanny Durack won gold in the women’s 100m freestyle, while Great Britain claimed victory in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
The 50m freestyle was added to the programme at the Seoul 1988 Olympics, where the USA’s Matt Biondi won men’s gold in world-record time, and GDR’s Kristin Otto triumphed in the women’s event. The men’s and women’s 50m freestyle has been contested at every Summer Olympics since.
More recently, the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay, Women’s 1500m Freestyle and Men’s 800m Freestyle debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, marking another milestone in Olympic swimming history.
Swimming’s Hollywood Home for LA28
As the Olympic Games head to the entertainment capital of the world, swimmers will take centre stage in a venue fit for Hollywood. For LA28, organisers are transforming SoFi Stadium—home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Rams—into a world-class Olympic swimming venue.
The state-of-the-art stadium, which has also hosted music superstars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, will be converted into a 38,000-seat open-air natatorium, making it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history. The current record for attendance at a swimming event stands at 22,209 spectators, set during a 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials session at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, another NFL venue repurposed for elite competition.
How New Events Are Added to the Olympic Programme
The Olympic sports programme, which decides the events contested at a specific edition of the Games, is determined by the IOC Session from among sports governed by International Federations recognised by the IOC.
The IOC Executive Board is responsible for approving the Olympic event programme, following recommendations from the Olympic Programme Commission. This process is carried out in collaboration with the relevant International Federations and the Organising Committee of the host city.
When an International Federation proposes a new event, the Olympic Programme Commission conducts a thorough review. This evaluation process involves input from key stakeholders, including athletes, International Federations, and National Olympic Committees, before the IOC Executive Board decides.
Swimming at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics | Facts & Figures
- Six new events: Men 50m Backstroke, Women 50m Backstroke, Men 50m Breaststroke, Women 50m Breaststroke, Men 50m Butterfly, Women 50m Butterfly
- 41 swimming medal events on the LA28 Olympic Sports Programme
- Seventeen individual men’s events; seventeen individual women’s events
- Three men’s relay events; three women’s relay events; one mixed relay event
World Record Holders | Men’s and Women’s 50m events
Men’s 50m Backstroke | Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 23.55, set on 27.07.2023
Men’s 50m Breaststroke | Adam Peaty (GBR), 25.95, set on 25.07.2017
Men’s 50m Butterfly | Andrii Govorov (UKR), 22.27, set on 1.07.2018
Men’s 50m Freestyle | Cesar Cielo (BRA), 20.91, set on 18.12.2009
Women’s 50m Backstroke | Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 26.86, set on 20.10.2023
Women’s 50m Breaststroke | Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 29.16, set on 30.07.2023
Women’s 50m Butterfly | Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 24.43, set on 5.07.2014
Women’s 50m Freestyle | Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 23.61, set on 29.07.2023