LA28 and World Aquatics have released a detailed framework for how swimming spots will be earned at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, including the official time standards athletes must meet to qualify. You can review the full qualification document here: https://swimswam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SWM-LA28-Qualification-System.pdf.
Background context: In September, World Aquatics announced changes to the Olympic selection process, introducing adjustments to how standard times are determined and instituting new rules for the stroke 50 events—the latter marking their first appearance at the LA Games. Previously, A-time standards were tied to the 14th or 16th place times from the prior Olympics. For LA, World Aquatics’ Mike Unger indicated that the target A times would be near the Paris Games’ 14th-ranked entry times. This approach reflected a smaller quota (830 athletes, down from 852 in Paris) and a desire to keep auto-qualifiers manageable.
What the official times show: The released standards reveal that the A times are close to, but not exactly, the 14th-seeded Paris times. The B times are defined as the A times plus a 1% increase.
Women’s 2028 Olympic Qualifying Times (A and B):
- 50m Freestyle: A 24.56, B 24.81
- 100m Freestyle: A 53.60, B 54.14
- 200m Freestyle: A 1:56.43, B 1:57.59
- 400m Freestyle: A 4:06.27, B 4:08.73
- 800m Freestyle: A 8:26.71, B 8:31.78
- 1500m Freestyle: A 16:08.65, B 16:18.34
- 100m Backstroke: A 59.49, B 1:00.08
- 200m Backstroke: A 2:08.95, B 2:10.24
- 100m Breaststroke: A 1:06.10, B 1:06.76
- 200m Breaststroke: A 2:23.49, B 2:24.92
- 100m Butterfly: A 57.38, B 57.95
- 200m Butterfly: A 2:08.15, B 2:09.43
- 200m Individual Medley: A 2:09.90, B 2:11.20
- 400m Individual Medley: A 4:37.33, B 4:40.10
Men’s 2028 Olympic Qualifying Times (A and B):
- 50m Freestyle: A 21.69, B 21.91
- 100m Freestyle: A 47.86, B 48.34
- 200m Freestyle: A 1:45.83, B 1:46.89
- 400m Freestyle: A 3:45.46, B 3:47.71
- 800m Freestyle: A 7:47.04, B 7:51.71
- 1500m Freestyle: A 14:51.62, B 15:00.54
- 100m Backstroke: A 53.00, B 53.53
- 200m Backstroke: A 1:56.05, B 1:57.21
- 100m Breaststroke: A 59.27, B 59.86
- 200m Breaststroke: A 2:09.35, B 2:10.64
- 100m Butterfly: A 51.06, B 51.57
- 200m Butterfly: A 1:54.69, B 1:55.84
- 200m Individual Medley: A 1:57.54, B 1:58.72
- 400m Individual Medley: A 4:11.52, B 4:14.04
Stroke 50 qualification details: The document reiterates the process reported earlier, where the top six finishers in each stroke 50 event at a World Cup stop in October 2027 automatically earn a direct Olympic entry. For the three stroke-50 events, one World Cup stop will host each event (two stops for two events; the third stop for the remaining event).
- If there are ties for sixth, all tied athletes receive a direct spot.
- A separate World Aquatics document will publish the specific competition rules for the World Cup 2027 events.
Qualification flow and timing: An athlete who secures one of the six stroke-50 spots must have their place confirmed by their National Olympic Committee (NOC) with World Aquatics in order to compete in LA. If an NOC declines, is late to respond, or fails to confirm, the world No. 1 could take the spot, and if the world No. 1 has already qualified, the seventh-placed World Cup finisher would. In addition to these six qualifiers, any swimmer already qualified in another event (or as a relay-only swimmer) may enter a stroke-50 event in LA if they meet the minimum time standard and their nation complies with the two-per-country rule.
Minimum time standards for stroke-50 events (men vs. women):
- 50m Backstroke: 25.35 (men), 28.59 (women)
- 50m Breaststroke: 27.71 (men), 31.33 (women)
- 50m Butterfly: 23.55 (men), 26.57 (women)
Relay qualification and limits: The top 12 nations in the heats of each relay at the 2027 World Championships in Budapest automatically qualify in the corresponding relay at the 2028 Olympics. In case of a tie for 12th, both teams earn spots. The number of direct relay berths a country earns influences how many additional relay competitors it may invite to the Games, with rules ranging from one to eight additional relay athletes depending on how many relays a nation enters.
Important departures from prior practice: In 2028, a country that isn’t qualified in a particular relay but has four or more swimmers qualified in individual events can still enter that relay at LA, provided they notify World Aquatics by June 24, 2028. Even if a country earned a direct relay berth at Budapest 2027, they still need at least two swimmers to qualify individually to field a relay, since qualifying one relay yields two relay-only spots.
Qualification window: The period to qualify for the 2028 Olympics runs from March 1, 2027, to June 18, 2028.
Notes: The content also features a short biographical sidebar on James Sutherland, a swim journalist associated with SwimSwam.
Bottom line: The 2028 LA qualification framework tightens standards and introduces the stroke-50 events, balancing stricter auto-qualifier criteria with new pathways to ensure a competitive field while preserving opportunities for established Olympic qualifiers and relay teams.
