{"id":438460,"date":"2022-08-03T03:46:20","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T10:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=438460"},"modified":"2022-08-04T17:01:57","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T00:01:57","slug":"if-swimming-added-new-events-to-the-olympic-lineup-what-could-they-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/if-swimming-added-new-events-to-the-olympic-lineup-what-could-they-be\/","title":{"rendered":"If Swimming Added New Events to the Olympic Lineup, What Could They Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If Swimming Added New Events to the Olympic Lineup, What Could They Be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The women’s 1500 freestyle, men’s 800 free and the mixed medley relay made their debuts at the Olympic Games in Tokyo<\/a>, bringing the total number of events in the pool to 35. Previously, the last time an event was added to the Olympic schedule was in 1996 when the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay made its debut in Atlanta. Eight years before that, the men’s and women’s 50 free were contested for the first time in Seoul.<\/p>\n

If given the option, what would be next?<\/p>\n

There’s a plethora of choices that could be considered. FINA introduced the mixed freestyle relay at the 2015 World Championships. But the mixed medley relay got the nod for Tokyo, presumably because it is more unpredictable and coaches can play around with strategy more.<\/p>\n

Obviously, additional events at the Olympic Games are unlikely to happen. The program is already full. But the mind can always wander, and these types of exercises can be enjoyable. So, let’s dive into the options of what events could be an interesting addition to the Olympic lineup:<\/p>\n

4×200 IM and\/or Medley Relay<\/h3>\n

We already have the 4×100 medley, and the 4×200 free, so what is preventing us from a 4×200 medley relay? Or perhaps even a 4×200 IM relay with four 200 IMers. It would be a great way to encourage swimmers to take on the IM events with potential relay spots on the line, as well as more swimmers to train for the 200 back, breast and fly for the same reason.<\/p>\n

You have to be a special kind of tough to train for a 200 of any stroke. Some great IMers of the past like Tamas Darnyi<\/strong>,\u00a0Alex Baumann<\/strong> and\u00a0Yana Klochkova\u00a0<\/strong>had limited potential to be on relays unless they put together a strong 200 free. Adding a relay of four 200 IMers or one of each stroke would definitely encourage athletes to take on those events, instead of having to choose between a 200 IM focus or a 200 free focus.<\/p>\n

The only issue would be the event would be over 8:00, and although hardcore swimming fans would still watch the event, it would be difficult to try to attract non-swimming fans to join the sport with such a long event on the program. Not to mention, it is a common occurrence for swimmers to over-swim the first 50 in a 200 free on a relay, and it would cause some extreme pain to the swimmer if the same tactic was brought to a 200 breast or 200 fly. It would cause swimmers and coaches to re-think the race strategy for a 200 stroke, but it would definitely shake things up if it was an official event.<\/p>\n

50m Underwater Kick<\/h3>\n