Sprint revolution: Why six more swimming gold medals could be up for grabs in 2028
By Tom Decent
Australia’s gold rush in the Paris pool could be even more substantial at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, as swimming authorities lobby for six more 50m specialist races to be added to the program in four years’ time – a proposal supported by Australian great Ian Thorpe.
World Aquatics has made a formal request to the International Olympic Committee to add 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke and 50m butterfly events, for men and women, to an already packed schedule, according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions.
Those three 50m events are contested at world championships and other international competitions but have never been on the Olympic program.
There are already 35 swimming gold medals on offer in the pool at the Olympics, plus two 10-kilometre marathon events that were held this week in the Seine.
“The 50s need to be in … they’re important,” Thorpe told this masthead. “It’s almost a unique event in itself that we should be acknowledging. They are exciting. I actually think it balances the program perfectly between sprint races and middle distance.
“I hope every swimmer is for it. Every fan of swimming should be for it. I don’t understand why there would be controversy around adding six swimming events to the program as swimming is a significant component to the Olympics.”
Swimming is the second-biggest sport at these Games behind athletics, which has 48 gold medals available across men’s and women’s events. Next on the list is shooting, with 15 gold medals up for grabs.
If those three 50m swimming events were added, alongside the 50m freestyle, which is already on the program, a total of 41 gold medals would be available for the world’s best swimmers.
Australian Cam McEvoy wins gold in the 50m freestyle.Credit: Eddie Jim
Organisers for Los Angeles 2028 have made no secret of wanting to make the next Olympics as big as possible, with swimming set to be held at SoFi Stadium, the venue of the 2022 Super Bowl. The IOC has the final say on schedules, but LA organisers are keen on the idea.
The introduction of another three specialist sprint events could entice many swimmers to ditch 100m races and focus on one-lap dashes.
Cam McEvoy showed what’s possible by training purely for the 50m when he became the first Australian to win a medal in the event since its introduction in 1988, having effectively quit the sport in 2022.
“I’m sure in the months ahead, Cam is going to be explaining what he’s done and how he did it,” Thorpe said.
The addition of more swimming events, however, might prove more controversial with athletes from other sports, many of whom already believe there are too many swimming gold medals on offer.
Michael Phelps’ 28 Olympic medals could not have been achieved by the majority of other athletes simply because of the number of events he was able to race in.
Australia picked up seven swimming gold medals in Paris, two fewer than their record haul of nine from Tokyo 2021.
Australia’s best chances of a gold medal in either 50m backstroke, butterfly or breaststroke events would be Kaylee McKeown.
Last year, McKeown won the 50m backstroke at the world championships in Japan before breaking the world record a few months later.
Kaylee McKeown celebrates with her 50m backstroke gold medal.Credit: Reuters
At this year’s world championships in Doha – albeit against a weaker field than normal due to the meet being hosted in an Olympic year – Australians Sam Williamson (50m breaststroke) and Isaac Cooper (50m backstroke) won gold medals in their specialist sprint events.
The pair might be inclined to train specifically for 50m events if the IOC approves the request from Word Aquatics.
Cooper, who after these Olympics is likely to only focus on 50m freestyle and backstroke events, has spoken previously about wanting more non-freestyle, one-lap races at the Games.
“It works everywhere else, why not at an Olympics?” Cooper told Australian Olympian Brett Hawke last year on his podcast. “You would get specialists and you would get people swimming so much faster. In Australia, we’re actively told throughout our life that the 50m backstroke isn’t a real event. That’s really sad.
“I’ve just come back from the world championships … I’m standing on the podium and everything I have been told is that you’re winning a medal for an event that’s not real. It’s already taking away the credit from incredible athletes.”
Hawke started a change.org petition earlier this year calling for 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly races to be included at the Olympics, which generated more than 7000 signatures.
Sign up for our Sports Newsletter to get Olympic Games updates and general sport news, results and expert analysis straight to your inbox.