Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
The swimming competition at the 2012 Olympics are scheduled to be held:
Swimming is expected to feature 34 different events (17 male, 17 female). Two of these will be open-water swims of 10-kilometres in distance (10Ks); while the remaining 32 events will be contested in a 50m, long course pool.
For the order of events, see
posted the qualifying times for individual events for the 2012 Olympics. The time standards consist of two time standards, an "Olympic Qualifying Time" and an "Olympic Invitation Time". Each country may enter up to two swimmers per event, provided both swimmers meet the (faster) Qualifying time. A country may enter one swimmer per event that meets the Invitation standard. Any swimmer who meets the "Qualifying" time will be entered in the event for the Games; a swimmer meeting the "Invitation" standard will be eligible for entry, and their entry will be allotted/filled in by ranking.
If a country has no swimmers meeting either qualifying standard, it may enter one male and one female. A country that does not receive an allocation spot but has at least one swimmer who meets a qualifying standard may enter the swimmer with the highest ranking.
- Pool: 28 July – 4 August 2012 at the London Aquatics Centre, and
- Open water: on 9 & 10 August in The Serpentine in London's Hyde Park.
Swimming is expected to feature 34 different events (17 male, 17 female). Two of these will be open-water swims of 10-kilometres in distance (10Ks); while the remaining 32 events will be contested in a 50m, long course pool.
Events
The following events will be contested:- FreestyleFreestyle swimmingFreestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m (women), 1500 m (men), - BackstrokeBackstrokeThe backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
: 100 m, 200 m - BreaststrokeBreaststrokeThe breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
: 100 m, 200 m - ButterflyButterfly strokeThe butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
: 100 m, 200 m - Individual MedleyMedley swimmingMedley is a combination of four different swimming styles into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley or by four swimmers as a medley relay...
: 200 m, 400 m - Relay: 4×100 m Free, 4×200 m Free; 4×100 m Medley
- Marathon: 10 km
For the order of events, see
Qualifying
FINA By-Law BL 9.3.6.4 (swimming) and BL 9.3.7.5.3 (open water) lays out the qualification procedures for the "Swimming" competition at the Olympics. Each country is only allowed to enter up to two swimmers per individual event (provided they qualify), and one entry per relay; and a country may not have more than 26 males and 26 females (52 total) on its team.Swimming – individual events
On November 11, 2010, FINAFina
Fina may refer to:*Fina, a character in the Skies of Arcadia video game*FINA, the International Swimming Federation*FINA, the North American Forum on Integration...
posted the qualifying times for individual events for the 2012 Olympics. The time standards consist of two time standards, an "Olympic Qualifying Time" and an "Olympic Invitation Time". Each country may enter up to two swimmers per event, provided both swimmers meet the (faster) Qualifying time. A country may enter one swimmer per event that meets the Invitation standard. Any swimmer who meets the "Qualifying" time will be entered in the event for the Games; a swimmer meeting the "Invitation" standard will be eligible for entry, and their entry will be allotted/filled in by ranking.
If a country has no swimmers meeting either qualifying standard, it may enter one male and one female. A country that does not receive an allocation spot but has at least one swimmer who meets a qualifying standard may enter the swimmer with the highest ranking.
Swimming – relay events
Each relay event will feature 16 teams, composed of:- 12: the top-12 finishers at the 2011 World Championships2011 World Aquatics ChampionshipsThe 14th FINA World Championships were held at July 16–31, 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronised swimming...
in each relay event. - 4: the 4 fastest non-qualified teams, based on times in the 15-months preceding the Olympics.
Open Water Swimming
The men's and women's 10K races at the 2012 Olympics are expected to feature 25 swimmers each. Each 25 will include:- 10: the top-10 finishers from the 10K race at the 2011 World Championships2011 World Aquatics ChampionshipsThe 14th FINA World Championships were held at July 16–31, 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronised swimming...
- 9: from the top finishers at a 2012 Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier. The FINA Bureau selected Setúbal, PortugalSetúbalSetúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....
as the host of this event at its 12-14 December 2010 meet in Dubai, UAE. - 5: one representative from each FINA continent (Africas, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania).
- 1: from the host nation (Great Britain) if not qualified by other means. If Great Britain already has a qualifier in the race, this spot will be allocated back into the general pool from the 2012 Qualifying race.