FINA has recently announced a proposal that could bring big changes to swimming in the future on the international stage.
According to NBC Sports, FINA has reportedly proposed adding a men’s 800 meter freestyle race as well as a women’s 1500 meter race to the Olympic program. The full list of events that would be added would be added for Tokyo in 2020:
- Men’s 800m Freestyle
- Women’s 1500m Freestyle
- Mixed 400 Medley Relay
- Mixed 400 Freestyle Relay
- 50s in each stroke for both men and women
These proposed changes would create substantially more opportunities for swimmers like Katie Ledecky and Ryan Murphy to cement their legacies in the realm of swimming. For Ledecky, adding the women’s 1500, an event where she would be a virtual lock, would allow her to climb ever closer to Phelps’ record of 28 Olympic Medals. Adding 50 meter stroke events would allow a more specialized swimmer like Murphy, to excel in three individuals rather than just two.
Along with American swimmers, international swimmers like Cesar Cielo could benefit greatly from these changes. Cielo, who didn’t make the Brazilian Olympic Team in 2016 would have been a likely favorite in the 50 meter butterfly. Adam Peaty, the world record holder in the 50 and 100 breaststroke events is also known for his incredible speed. The addition of the 50 breaststroke event would create an immediate opportunity for Peaty to rack up addition international medals.
In addition to the addition of races in the swimming event in Tokyo, FINA has proposed additions to a number of other aquatic events. The full list of changes can be found below:
- Adjust the number of divers competing from 136 to 160 and go from 8 teams competing in finals of synchronized diving to 12
- Include High diving in the 2020 Olympics: Men jump from 27 meters and women from 20 meters
- Allow four additional teams to qualify for women’s water polo, but in doing so each team, both men and women, must decrease their team size from 13 to 11
- Add 10 swimmers to the open water events to go from 25 to 35 for both men and women
- Increase the number of synchronized swim teams to 12 from 8
50s of each? Yes please
I would like tos ee the addition of Men’s 800 and Women’s 1500. Definetly not in favor of 50’s in strokes or mixed relays.
Don Gambril
Mixed relays are nonsense. Distance events and 50s sound good though.
OH! Peter Daland is rolling over to hear talk of fifties. He never wanted the 50 free to make it. The fifties will make it some day as the Europeans love it, as they use it in Nationals now and we don’t. The relavence of anything over 200 is waining gradually. The easiest is that the women should be 1500 instead of 800 but not being so is the attitude of other countries about women.
Not a fan of adding the 50s. I’d probably switch the women’s 800 for the 1500 and call it a day.
If they did add the 50’s, they would need to increase the team size allowable otherwise you limiting our ability to field our best team. They already limit us to two per event.
Get rid of w800 and replace it with 1,500.
You can bet that IAAF will demand an addition of 3,000m event if IOC approve w1500 and m800.
Mixed relays? Sounds like a summer league event.
Wait, some summer leagues do mixed age relays. Those are fun.
Maybe the IOC should consider t-shirt relays and maybe add sprint events with fins. Let’s really water down the event program by inventing some super fun 4th of July races.
Then add belly flop contest on each and every diving board/platform. Throw in mixed water polo and maybe offer both deep water and shallow water contests (weak swimmers can opt for the shallow course and are permitted to stand up).
Wait, wait! How about 200 meter relay events. Those are crazy exciting. And then we should toss in mixed 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Maybe 800 medley… Read more »
If ( not so ) L’il Kim is still there in 2020 , I’d be asking him what he wants .