A look at the 2024 Paris Olympics Schedule for Swimming ~

by DAVID RIEDER, SWIMMING WORLD

A Look At the Schedule For the 2024 Olympics In Paris; Women’s 200 Free, 1500 Free On Different Days

After five consecutive Olympic Games with very similar schedules for swimming competition, there will be a totally new lineup in place for the 2024 Games in Paris. The new competition schedule will include 35 finals in the pool, just like at the Tokyo Olympics last year, but the events will be spread out over nine days of finals instead of eight, with finals at La Defense Arena running from Saturday, July 27 through Sunday, August 4.

The revamped schedule will see the women’s 200 freestyle and 1500 freestyle finals moved to separate days in the schedule. In Tokyo, where the 1500 free was contested in the Olympics for the first time, the two events were both held during the fourth night of finals, and Katie Ledecky competed in both. She finished fifth in the 200 free before winning gold in the 1500 free. Ledecky skipped the 200 free at this year’s World Championships, but with the schedule extended and the two events split, she may choose to return to the event in the future.

Additionally, the men’s and women’s 400 IM finals have been moved off the first night of finals for the first time in recent memory. Instead, the men’s event will be held on day two and the women’s on day three. Both 400 free relays will be on the first night (unlike at previous Olympics when the men’s was on day two). The men’s and women’s 400 medley relays will conclude the Olympic swimming competition on day nine, while the mixed 400 medley relay will be on day eight.

The men’s 200 backstroke and 200 IM have been moved to different days in the competition schedule. Previously, the events were held back-to-back, which discouraged Michael Phelps from ever competing in the 200 back at the Olympics. Phelps won four consecutive gold medals in the 200 IM at the Olympics, making him the only swimmer in any event to ever accomplish a four-peat, but his biggest rival in the event, Ryan Lochte, raced in the 200 back final prior to taking on Phelps in the 200 IM at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

The full schedule of finals for the Paris Olympics is posted below, with three to five finals set to take place each day. Prelims for each event and semifinals for each event 200 meters and below take place the day before the listed finals. For the 400 free, 400 IM and all freestyle relays, prelims take place the same day.

Saturday, July 27 (Day One)

Men’s 400 Freestyle
Women’s 400 Freestyle
Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay
Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay

Sunday, July 28 (Day Two)

Men’s 400 IM
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Men’s 100 Breaststroke

Monday, July 29 (Day Three)

Women’s 400 IM
Men’s 200 Freestyle
Men’s 100 Backstroke
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Women’s 200 Freestyle

Tuesday, July 30 (Day Four)

Women’s 100 Backstroke
Men’s 800 Freestyle
Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay

Wednesday, July 31 (Day Five)

Women’s 100 Freestyle
Men’s 200 Butterfly
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Women’s 1500 Freestyle
Men’s 100 Freestyle

Thursday, August 1 (Day Six)

Women’s 200 Butterfly
Men’s 200 Backstroke
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Women’s 800 Freestyle Relay

Friday, August 2 (Day Seven)

Men’s 50 Freestyle
Women’s 200 Backstroke
Men’s 200 IM

Saturday, August 3 (Day Eight)

Men’s 100 Butterfly
Women’s 200 IM
Women’s 800 Freestyle
Mixed 400 Medley Relay

Sunday, August 4 (Day Nine)

Women’s 50 Freestyle
Men’s 1500 Freestyle
Men’s 400 Medley Relay
Women’s 400 Medley Relay