The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has made a landmark decision, approving the addition of six new events to the swimming program for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. This move, which will see the introduction of the men's and women's 50m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, is set to significantly expand the Olympic swimming competition.
The IOC Executive Board's decision follows the recommendation of the Olympic Programme Commission, which had previously endorsed World Aquatics' proposal to include all strokes in the 50m distance. The IOC's unanimous approval on Wednesday solidifies this change.
This expansion means that swimming will feature a record 41 medal events at the Olympic Games, a notable increase from the 35 medal events contested at both Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020. Across all five Olympic aquatic disciplines – swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water swimming – there will be a total of 55 medal events at LA28, marking the highest number of medal events for any single sport in the history of the Olympic Games.
The news is likely to be met with excitement from swimmers around the world. In Bermuda, this decision could particularly resonate with athletes like Olympians Emma and Jack Harvey, as well as Elan and Elijah Daley, who may now have new opportunities to compete for Olympic medals in their preferred strokes.
The inclusion of the 50m events adds a new dimension to Olympic swimming, recognizing the importance of sprint speed across all stroke disciplines.
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