With just under 1,000 days until the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, the IOC and World Aquatics have finalised the LA28 Olympic Qualification System Principles for swimming and open water swimming.

World Aquatics collaborated with the IOC Sports Department, Technical Committees, National Federations, coaches, and athletes on the LA28 qualification principles. The IOC Executive Board will review the qualifying systems for diving, artistic swimming and water polo for approval in the coming weeks.

Among the highlights:

• Olympic quota spots: 830 for swimming, 44 for open water swimming
• Qualification for swimming starts on 1 March 2027, and qualification for open water swimming begins at the 2027 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest (26 June – 18 July 2027)
• The swimming and open water swimming qualification systems ensure athletes have at least two opportunities to qualify, maintain continental and universal representation, and aim to minimise travel demands

World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam welcomed the collaborative work undertaken to ensure a fair and attainable pathway to the Olympic Games.

“Finalising these qualification principles is a milestone on the road to LA28. While the swimming athlete quota has tightened over recent Olympic cycles, more National Olympic Committees now participate,” said Al Musallam. “Six new events for 2028 provide fresh opportunities for athletes and fans, and the open water swimming quota remains unchanged from Paris 2024.

“Our responsibility is to create a clear, fair qualification pathway,” added Al Musallam. “This work required careful consideration and collaboration with the IOC and the global aquatics community, and I am pleased with the balance we have achieved.”

The LA28 Olympics will be the largest Games in history, featuring 36 sports and 351 medal events. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 14 July 2028, and the Closing Ceremony for 30 July 2028.

With 55 medal events across swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water swimming on the LA28 sport programme, World Aquatics once again governs the largest share of medal events overseen by any international federation at the Olympic Games.

Los Angeles previously hosted the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984.

Swimming

The swimming quota for the LA28 Games is capped at 830 athletes competing over 41 medal events – the most swimming medals ever awarded at an Olympics, as the 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly for women and men have been added to the event programme for the first time.

Swimming World Cup: Direct Athlete Qualification for the New 50s Strokes at LA28

The six newly added LA28 swimming events will have a cap of six unique qualifiers per event through the 2027 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup – ensuring no more than 36 new athletes enter the competition. Any additional swimmers in these latest Olympic events must already be qualified in another event within the quota (A, B, ARC, or Universality). This ensures growth in the event programme without expanding the athlete quota.

Updated Relay Qualification

Key changes include 12 teams automatically qualifying for each of the relay events, which countries can achieve at the World Aquatics Championships – Budapest 2027. Additional countries can be eligible for relays if they have four men and/or four women (or two men and two women in the case of the Mixed 4x100m Medley relay) within the 830 quota.

New “Additional Relay Competitors” Framework

The previous system's “Relay-Only Athlete” category has now been replaced by the more flexible and clearly defined Additional Relay Competitor (ARC) designation. An ARC is an athlete explicitly entered to help a country field a team in the relay events, even if that athlete is not otherwise qualified for individual Olympic participation. This provides more clarity and options for countries when selecting relay line-ups.

Countries that qualify relay teams for Budapest 2027 are allowed to bring a set number of ARC athletes, depending on the number of swimming relays they are eligible for at LA28. The number can range from 2 to 8 ARCs per nation. ARCs are also eligible, for the first time in history, to participate in individual swimming events only if they attain the B Entry Standard for those events and only within the maximum number of athletes per country for each event. This structure defines how ARCs can participate beyond the relays.

Updated Time Standards for LA28

The “A” Entry Standard for LA28 has been developed using a broader range of results, statistics, and performance data. While this time standard has traditionally aligned with the 14th- or 16th-place preliminary time from the previous Olympic Games, for LA28, World Aquatics undertook a more detailed analysis to ensure a fairer, more data-driven benchmark for qualification.

Welcoming the athletes and preparing for its splashy Games-time debut will be SoFi Stadium, home turf of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, which will be transformed into the largest swimming venue in history for the Games.

Here are the Olympic Qualification System Principles for Swimming: LA28 Qualification System – Swimming

Here is a Frequently Asked Questions document from World Aquatics focused on the LA28 Olympic Qualification System: Frequently Asked Questions: LA28 Qualification System – Swimming

Open Water Swimming

The LA28 Olympic Qualification System for open water swimming sets a maximum quota of 22 men and 22 women, maintaining consistency with Paris 2024. The Pacific Ocean waters at Belmont Shore in Long Beach will be home to both open water swimming competitions.

Qualification begins at the World Aquatics Championships – Budapest 2027, where the top three men and top three women in the 10km event will automatically qualify for the LA28 Games. An additional, highest-ranked male and female athlete will automatically qualify through the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Rankings.

The remaining quota places will be determined at the LA28 Open Water Qualification Event. This event is scheduled for spring 2028, with the host and exact dates to be confirmed.

As in Paris 2024, the field may expand beyond the quota pool swimmers who qualify for LA28 in the 800m or 1500m freestyle, ensuring that top distance athletes can again compete across both sports at the upcoming Olympics.

Here are the Olympic Qualification System Principles for Open Water Swimming: LA28 Qualification System – Open Water Swimming

Competition Schedule

The detailed competition schedule for the LA28 Games was unveiled in November 2025.

Swimming will take centre stage over the final week of the Games, with medals awarded every day from Olympic Days 8-16 (22-30 July). The final swimming session of LA28 will include medals being awarded just before the Olympic Closing Ceremony – a historic first.

Open Water Swimming heads to the waters just off Belmont Shore, with the women competing in the 10km on Day 3 of the Games and the men on Day 4 (17 & 18 July).