The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will introduce six new short-distance swimming events: men’s and women’s 50-meter breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly.
The International Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday that the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will add six new short-distance swimming events: the men’s and women’s 50-meter backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. This marks a significant milestone for the global swimming community as the sport gears up for the LA 2028 Games. The approval of this proposal signals a major expansion of the Olympic swimming program.
World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam praised the decision, calling it "a milestone moment for swimming and the Olympics." He said, "Today’s decision underscores swimming’s ongoing evolution within the Olympic Games. The addition of these six new events enhances the sport’s balance and provides athletes with even more opportunities to showcase their talents on the world’s biggest stage. We thank the International Olympic Committee for its support in expanding Olympic swimming, and we can’t wait to see these incredible athletes compete under the California sky and starlight at the iconic Sofi Stadium."
A panoramic view of the White City Stadium, the swimming and diving venue for the 1908 London Olympics.
Swimming has been a part of the Olympics since the very first modern Games in 1896, held in Athens. It is one of only four sports that have appeared at every Summer Olympics—alongside athletics, artistic gymnastics, and fencing. Hungary’s Alfred Hajós became the inaugural Olympic swimming champion, claiming the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle event.
The inaugural modern Athens Olympics featured three men's swimming events: the 100-meter freestyle, the 400-meter freestyle, and the 1200-meter freestyle.
Until the 1908 London Olympics, all Olympic swimming events were held in open water.
At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, women's swimming made its debut. Australia's Fanny Durack won the gold medal in the women's 100-meter freestyle, while Great Britain claimed victory in the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
The 50-meter freestyle was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where America’s Matt Biondi claimed the men’s gold medal with a world-record-breaking performance, while Germany’s East Germany’s Kristin Otto triumphed in the women’s event. Since then, the men’s and women’s 50-meter freestyle events have remained a staple of the Summer Olympics.
Recently, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic), the mixed 4x100m medley relay, women’s 1500m freestyle, and men’s 800m freestyle made their debut, marking another significant milestone in Olympic swimming history.
Australia’s two female swimmers who made their Olympic debut—Mina Wylie (left) and Fanny Durack—pose by the pool at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. They competed in the 100-meter freestyle, a historic event that marked the first time women were allowed to participate in swimming at the Games. Durack went on to win the gold medal, while Wylie claimed the silver.
The Los Angeles city skyline at sunset
The 2028 Olympics willHeld in Los Angeles, the world's entertainment capital, organizers will transform SoFi Stadium—home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers—into a world-class Olympic swimming venue.
This state-of-the-art stadium, which has previously hosted concerts by music superstars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, is set to be transformed into an open-air swimming venue capable of holding 38,000 spectators—making it the largest swimming facility in Olympic history. Currently, the highest-ever attendance for a swimming event was 22,209, achieved during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, a venue that has also been repurposed for elite-level NFL competitions.
The exterior of SoFi Stadium
In the men's 4x100m freestyle relay final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Team USA's Caeleb Dressel and Blake Pieroni celebrated winning the gold medal.
The events of an Olympic Games are selected by the IOC Session from among the sports managed by International Sports Federations recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC Executive Board is responsible for approving the Olympic events, based on recommendations from the Olympic Programme Commission. This process is carried out in collaboration between the relevant International Sports Federations and the organizing city’s Organizing Committee.
When an international single-sport federation proposes adding a new event, the Olympic Program Commission conducts a thorough review. This evaluation process incorporates input from key stakeholders—including athletes, international single-sport federations, and National Olympic Committees—before the IOC Executive Board makes the final decision.
Six New EventsMen's 50m backstroke, Women's 50m backstroke, Men's 50m breaststroke, Women's 50m breaststroke, Men's 50m butterfly, Women's 50m butterfly.
41 medal events: The swimming program at the 28th Olympic Games in Los Angeles features a total of 41 medal events—17 individual events for men, 17 for women; 3 relay events for men, 3 for women, and 1 mixed relay event.
Great Britain's Adam Peaty broke the world record in the men's 50-meter breaststroke at the 2017 World Swimming Championships in Budapest. Peaty is the only swimmer to have ever dipped below 26 seconds in the long-course 50-meter breaststroke event.Men's 50m Backstroke | Kliment Kolesnikov (Russia), 23.55, set on July 27, 2023
Men's 50m Breaststroke | Adam Peaty (UK), 25.95, set on July 25, 2017
Men's 50m Butterfly | Andriy Govorov (Ukraine), 22.27, set on July 1, 2018
Men's 50m Freestyle | Cesar Cielo (Brazil), 20.91, set on December 18, 2009
Women's 50m Backstroke | Kaylee McKeown (Australia), 26.86, set on October 20, 2023
Women's 50m Breaststroke | Ruta Meilutytė (Lithuania), 29.16, set on July 30, 2023
Women's 50m Butterfly | Sarah Sjöström (Sweden), 24.43, set on July 5, 2014
Women's 50m Freestyle | Sarah Sjöström (Sweden), 23.61, set on July 29, 2023
Yan Zibei responds to retirement rumors: "Focusing wholeheartedly on training—see you at the May championships!"
Sun Jiajun recalls his gold-medal journey at the Paris Olympics: "The pressure was so intense I couldn’t sleep—so in the final 8 meters, I held my breath and pushed straight through to the finish."
Notice Regarding Matters Related to the 4th National Swimming City Series Tournament 2025 (Zunyi Station)
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