LA28 Time Standards: A Look at the Qualifying Process
Qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics is a little different, with direct qualification in the stroke 50s and a reduction of 16 automatically qualified relays to 12.
The time standards will also be different.
Here is a look at the time standards for LA28:
The biggest change for LA28 is the inclusion of the stroke 50s in the Olympics, as they are at World Aquatics Championships. That passed earlier this year, but it presents a problem given that there were no additional quota spots allocated.
Qualification for the six 50 stroke events for men and women will not follow the usual A standard/B standard times. Instead of setting a qualification time, athletes will directly qualify by finishing in the top six of designated races at the 2027 World Cup, scheduled for as-yet unspecified cities and likely to be held in Europe.
In the fall of 2027, each of the three stops will feature two races (presumably one men’s and one women’s) that are direct Olympic qualifiers. Heat entries will be unlimited by nation. Swimmers over the three-day meet will advance from prelims to quarterfinals to semifinals to an eight-person final, the only level that is constrained to two representatives per nation. The top six finishers in the final will automatically qualify for Los Angeles, subject to selection procedures imposed by national governing bodies. (For instance, due to quota restrictions, a country could elect to take only one automatic qualifier and fill is other spot with a swimmer who qualifies in a different event.)
The purpose is to ensure that there are not a quota-busting number of qualifiers who meet a certain time standard for LA28.
