Sports and Racing games

Here's a list of email-addresses you might want to contact to voice your displeasure at the inclusion of convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde in the 2024 Dutch beach volleyball team.

Full list of e-mails to just copy/paste at the bottom.

Dutch Olympic Committee (responsible for his nomination to the team)

Dutch Beach Volleyball Association (responsible for his nomination to the team)

Denham Sportswear (sportswear company, sponsors his team)

Rabobank (Dutch bank, sponsors the Dutch beach volleyball league)

Paris 2024 Olympics Organisers

• no email found, but questions/complaints form accessible 

Full list of emails to copy/paste

        

If you know of additional organisations to contact regarding this matter, please comment, and I will edit accordingly.

You might also wish to leave comments on the Dutch Beach Volleyball Association's instagram account ( @ beachvolleybalnl ) and the beach volleyball team's account ( @ beachteamnl ). Steven, being a coward as well as a rapist, has already deactivated his instagram.

Happy emailing, everyone! I won't be responding to any messages defending van de Velde or justifying his actions. This is a list that's intended for people who, like me, find his inclusion reprehensible. If you don't agree with that... Well, that's on you, but I suggest you just move on from this post.

Suggested sample text (feel free to post your own in the comments, so people can copy/paste with more variety):

To whom it may concern,

I was disgusted to find out about your organisation's support of Steven van de Velde. Mr van de Velde, as you are aware, is a convicted child rapist. His rape of a twelve-year-old child was a heinous act, and to support such an individual is inexcusable.

My opinion of your organisation has been severely tarnished. I will publicly name and shame your organisation on social media and similar for its support of child rapist Mr van de Velde, and boycott your organisation and the Olympic games in general because of it.

The only possible remedy to the damage this has already done to your organisation's reputation would be for you to immediately call for Mr van de Velde's removal from the olympic team.

Regards,

After learning that the pedophile rapist Steven van de Velde, yes that Steven van de Velde, the man who raped a twelve year old girl, was going to be sponsored by Denham I emailed them with my concerns. This was their response:

Dear Mountain Cry,

We would like to thank you for your response.

Since DENHAM THE JEANMAKER is the fashion partner of NOCNSF and TeamNL and we support all athletes through apparel, we would like to share the statement from NOCNSF and Team NL regarding Steven van de Velde. Statement from NOC*NSF and TeamNL: We see that the renewed publicity about Steven van de Velde evokes many emotions. We understand that because the facts at the time are very serious.

A lot has happened since then. Steven van de Velde served his sentence and then went through an intensive process with specialists, including the probation service. In this process he has shown growth and change in a positive sense. It has been determined by relevant experts that there is no chance of recidivism. In 2018, 4 years after the crime, he has told about his transgression and the consequences in a number of interviews. (Here you can see the interview he gave to NOS). The national volleyball federation Nevobo and also NOCNSF have critically followed Steven van de Velde's development and emphatically followed expert advice. In doing so, the Guidelines integriteitsverleden were followed. These describe the conditions athletes must meet to get a second chance after a conviction. He has been given one; he has been competing in international sports for several years now. He has never disappointed his supervisors, the federation or the NOCNSF.

Based on all the considerations described above, NOC*NSF honored his qualification and nominated him for the Olympic Games in Paris. We hope to have thus informed you of the choice made after careful consideration.

Met vriendelijke groet, Kind regards,

Team DENHAM Customer Service

This is the email I sent that elicited this response:

To whom it may concern,

I am a UK citizen. I have been informed that your company is sponsoring and outfitting the Dutch Olympic Team during the 2024 Olympics.

The Dutch Olympic Team has as a member of its volleyball team, Steven van de Velde.

In 2016 this man was convicted of the rape of a 12 year old British girl, and instead of justice he got a slap on the wrist for it.

A four year sentence of which only a year was served is an absolute disgrace and diservice to his victim.

I am extremely concerned about the message your sponsorship of this man as part of the Dutch Olympic Team sends to his victim, and other child sexual abuse survivors.

I ask on her behalf, and on the behalf of all child sexual assault survivors that you drop your sponsorship of the Dutch Olympic Team, and refuse to outfit them unless Steven van de Velde is removed from their Olympic squad, to send a message to the international community that your company does not condone, support, or turn a blind eye to the irreparable harm this man has done to this young woman.

Thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully,

Mountain Cry.

Hey everybody! A month ago, I made a post on this sub asking about sport-by-sport previews, as I thought they would be great, convenient resources of information and excitement for fellow Olympic fans. Sensing that no such previews were gonna come, I decided to channel Thanos and take them into my own hands.

Over the next few weeks, myself and will be posting an Olympic preview for every single sport! It's a daunting task to cover so many disciplines and events, but the two of us will do our best to bring digestible information and ratchet up the excitement for each of the sports. Our hope is to have these previews be informative to viewers of all kinds, and for them to be springboards for further discussions. From first-timers to hardcore fans, all are welcome on this collective ride towards the Paris Olympics!

We are kicking off with our preview for swimming (both pool and open water). Stay tuned on this sub over the next few weeks for previews on all the other sports!

Introduction

Ah yes, swimming. The spectacle of big, muscular humans powering through water while racing one another. What was once simply a skill learned for survival has long been showcased at the Olympics as an exhibition of mankind’s liquid dominion, over pool or open water. Swimming has been a feature of every modern Summer Olympics, and has evolved into one of the most watched sports across these Games. Every four years, the eyes of casual fans descend upon these fish-like athletes, hoping to witness some unforgettable races.

For pool swimming (i.e. races that take place within a 50-meter-long, chlorinated pool), the “modern” event lineup was finalized at the 1996 Olympics, where events were more or less normalized for men and women alike. In the 20202021 Olympics, three more events were added to completely balance the lineup between the two genders, while introducing the first mixed-gender race. The two open water swimming events were first introduced at the 2008 Olympics.

When it comes to competitive swimming, there are usually four types of “strokes” that are used. Backstroke is when people swim on their…backs. Breaststroke is the slowest of the four, and is swum without rotating the torso (some languages call it the “frog-stroke”). Butterfly may be the most photogenic stroke type, and can be identified from a swimmer symmetrically waving their arms over their head. And finally, freestyle is technically not a stroke –– the stroke often associated with freestyle races is called the “front crawl”, but as it is the fastest of the four stroke types, it is almost universally utilized in freestyle races (i.e. any stroke can be used), and has thus become synonymous with “freestyle”.

Competition Format

For pool swimming, each event has at least two stages. For individual events of 200 meters or lower, all swimmers participate in the preliminary round, with the 16 swimmers with the fastest times advancing to the semifinals. The 8 fastest swimmers in the semifinals advance to the final, and the 3 fastest swimmers in the final are awarded the medals. For individual events longer than 200 meters, the semifinals are eliminated, so the 8 fastest swimmers from the preliminary round would advance to the final. For relay events, there are also no semifinals, and the 8 fastest teams in the preliminaries qualify for the final. Teams can substitute as many as four swimmers (i.e. the entire relay team) and as few as zero swimmers between the preliminary round and the final round. If a team wins a medal in a relay race, then all swimmers who participated in that relay –– even if only for the preliminary round –– would get that medal.

For open water, each event consists of just one race. You can’t have them swim 10 kilometers multiple times, can you? Would just be too much…

Event-by-Event Breakdown

Since each race in swimming has a different wrinkle to it and could have different medal favorites, we’re going to run through every single event and highlight a few people and/or things to look out for:

• Men’s 50-meter freestyle:

  • The “splash n’ dash” figures to be a very close race, but the favorite on paper is Cameron McEvoy [AUS]. He is the 2023 World champion, and comes into the Olympics with this year’s world-leading time.

  • Other contenders for the top spot include Ben Proud [GBR], Josh Liendo [CAN], Chris Guiliano [USA], Florent Manaudou [FRA], Maxime Grousset [FRA], and 2024 World champion Vladyslav Bukhov [UKR].

  • Caeleb Dressel [USA] is the defending Olympic champion. He took an extended break from the sport in 2022, but is back and won this event at the US Trials. Can he defend his Olympic gold? We shall see.

• Women’s 50-meter freestyle:

  • Despite being only one length of the pool, everybody will be chasing Sarah Sjöström [SWE]. The legendary Swede holds the world record in this event (set just last year!) and is far ahead of all other competitors. Nevertheless, other contenders for the podium include Shayna Jack [AUS], Meg Harris [AUS], Kasia Wasick [POL], Gretchen Walsh [USA], and the ever-so-clutch (and also on a comeback path) Simone Manuel [USA].

• Men’s 100-meter freestyle:

  • Sheesh, what a loaded field. This might be one of the most exciting and competitive races in swimming, and there are over a dozen men who could realistically push for the podium.

  • The field is headlined by Pan Zhanle [CHN], the current world record holder and 2024 World champion, and David Popovici [ROU], the previous world record holder (before Pan broke it earlier this year) and 2024 European champion. These two swimmers are both under 20 years old, and could be poised to stamp their name onto the biggest stage.

  • The defending Olympic champion, Caeleb Dressel, will not be swimming this event, as he placed 3rd at the US Trials. In his place are two American sprinters, Chris Guiliano and Jack Alexy, who could make some serious waves. Alexy earned a silver medal at last year’s World champs, and Guiliano won this event at the US Trials.

  • Some other contenders include: Maxime Grousset [FRA], Nandor Nemeth [HUN], Alessandro Miressi [ITA], Matt Richards [GBR], Duncan Scott [GBR], Hwang Sunwoo [KOR], Andrej Barna [SRB], and Josh Liendo [CAN].

  • Last but certainly not least, Kyle Chalmers [AUS], the 2023 World champion and 2016 Olympic champion, is a major player in this field. He tends to swim his best at big meets, and his trademark closing speed has netted him many medals in the past. Can he win his second gold medal in this event?

• Women’s 100-meter freestyle:

  • During the past half-decade, Australia has turned itself into the world’s premier female sprinting nation, and the two swimmers they bring to this event are formidable. Mollie O’Callaghan is the 2022 and 2023 World champion in this event, with an otherworldly back-half that has served her well in races past. Shayna Jack possesses incredible top-end speed, and can threaten for gold if she’s on form.

  • Other contenders include the ever-consistent Siobhan Haughey [HKG], the back-half-heavy Marrit Steenbergen [NED], the quietly strong Yang Junxuan [CHN], and the American duo of Kate Douglass and Torri Huske.

• Men’s 200-meter freestyle:

  • David Popovici [ROU] comes into the Olympics with this year’s leading time, the only one under 1 minute and 44 seconds. He is the favorite on paper, but there are a few others looking to strike gold.

  • Lukas Märtens [GER] has the next-best time this year, and Hwang Sunwoo [KOR] has medaled in this event in the last three World championships (including a gold earlier this year). The British duo of Matt Richards and Duncan Scott can also make serious noise, as Richards is the 2023 World champion, and Scott earned a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

  • Keep an eye out for contenders such as Luke Hobson [USA], Max Giuliani [AUS], Pan Zhanle [CHN], and Danas Rapsys [LTU].

• Women’s 200-meter freestyle:

  • If you haven’t seen this event at the Australian Trials, do yourself a favor and go watch it now (it’s on YouTube). During that race, Mollie O’Callaghan achieved a new personal best and was faster than her world record time by almost four-tenths of a second. However, she did not win this race, as Ariarne Titmus went even faster and established a new world record. These two women head into the Olympics as the huge favorites to go 1-2 (in either order) in this event.

  • It remains to be seen if teenage phenom Summer McIntosh [CAN] will swim his event at the Olympics, given her packed schedule. If she does, then she should contend for a podium spot, as she has the quickest non-Australian time so far this year. If she opts out, then the bronze medal will be favored to go to Hong Kong standout Siobhan Haughey.

• Men’s 400-meter freestyle:

  • Ever since last year’s World championships, this event has been on the upswing, with a few men raring to break Paul Biedermann’s super-suited world record from 2009. Two of last year’s medalists, Sam Short [AUS] and Lukas Märtens [GER], return to this year’s field as leading contenders to do so. Märtens has this year’s world-leading time (by more than a second), while Short is the 2023 World champion. Short’s teammate, Elijah Winnington, has also posted a very fast time this year. These three are the favorite for the podium spots, but look for others like Kim Woomin [KOR], Oliver Klemet [GER], Felix Auböck [AUT], and Guilherme Costa [BRA] to challenge them.

• Women’s 400-meter freestyle:

  • The “race of the century” from last year’s World championships ended with Ariarne Titmus [AUS] running away from the field and establishing a new world record, and she maintains that position coming into the Olympics. Titmus came close to her own world record during the Australian Trials, and looks to be in fantastic form at the moment.

  • The remaining two podium spots are expected to be contested between three swimmers –– Summer McIntosh [CAN], Katie Ledecky [USA], and Erika Fairweather [NZL]. McIntosh has the fastest personal best of the three, while Ledecky has the fastest time this season of the three. Fairweather, meanwhile, established her personal best earlier this year, and beat out McIntosh for a podium spot last year. This should be a great battle.

• Men’s 800-meter freestyle:

  • Men’s distance swimming has become one of the most hotly contested categories of competitive swimming in recent years, and there is no shortage of names ready to jockey for a podium spot. A (non-exhaustive) list of contenders includes: the defending Olympic champion Bobby Finke [USA], the Irish upstart Daniel Wiffen, the Australian duo of Sam Short and Elijah Winnington, the Italian veteran Gregorio Paltrinieri, and the German youngster Lukas Märtens, as well as other players like Mykhailo Romanchuk [UKR], Florian Wellbrock [GER], Guilherme Costa [BRA], and Luke Whitlock [USA].

• Women’s 800-meter freestyle:

  • The legendary Katie Ledecky [USA] is looking to win her fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in this event, but she is not without a few challengers. Ariarne Titmus [AUS], Li Bingjie [CHN], Lani Pallister [AUS], Simona Quadarella [ITA], and Isabel Gose [GER] are among those attempting to reach a podium spot (or even to strike gold). Notably, Summer McIntosh [CAN], who famously beat Ledecky in this event earlier this year (in what was Ledecky’s first 800-meter loss in over a dozen years), has opted not to swim this event at the Olympics.

• Men’s 1500-meter freestyle:

  • This event is likely going to be a battle between the defending Olympic champion, Bobby Finke [USA], and this year’s World champion, Daniel Wiffen [IRL]. Both have posted very fast times over the past year, and could even threaten the world record from 2012. Other contenders include Florian Wellbrock [GER], Sam Short [AUS], Gregorio Paltrinieri [ITA], Mykhailo Romanchuk [UKR], and David Aubry [FRA].

• Women’s 1500-meter freestyle:

  • Katie Ledecky [USA] is the overwhelming favorite to defend her Olympic title. Other podium contenders include Simona Quadarella [ITA], Li Bingjie [CHN], Lani Pallister [AUS], Isabel Gose [GER], Anastasia Kirpichnikova [FRA], and Katie Grimes [USA].

• Men’s 100-meter backstroke:

  • The three podium spots are expected to be contested between four swimmers –– Thomas Ceccon [ITA] (2022 World champion and world record holder), Ryan Murphy [USA] (2023 World champion and 2016 Olympic champion), Hunter Armstrong [USA] (2024 World champion), and Xu Jiayu [CHN] (2017 and 2019 World champion). Other contenders include Apostolos Christou [GRE], Hugo Gonzalez [ESP], Oliver Morgan [GBR], and the French duo of Mewen Tomac and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard.

• Women’s 100-meter backstroke:

  • Hoo, baby, what a race this could be. The gold medal should go to either Kaylee McKeown [AUS] or Regan Smith [USA]. Smith was the first person to break the 58-second barrier in this event, setting a world record back in 2019. Since then, McKeown has emerged to become arguably the world’s best female backstroker, winning the gold medal at both the Tokyo Olympics and last year’s World championships, as well as setting a new world record. However, Smith, under the tutelage of renowned coach Bob Bowman, has rediscovered her top form, and just reset the world record during the US Trials in June. Both swimmers are looking great going into the Olympics, and another world record might just be needed to win this event.

  • Realistically, the contenders for the bronze spot are between two swimmers: Kylie Masse [CAN] and Katharine Berkoff [USA]. Masse is the veteran who looks to be back in good form, while Berkoff is the upstart who earned bronze at last year’s World champs.

• Men’s 200-meter backstroke:

  • For what has been a relatively weak field in recent years, there are still a few names to look out for. Hubert Kos [HUN] won this event last year, and could be poised to become the new Olympic champion. The man he defeated last year, Ryan Murphy [USA], has this year’s world-leading time. Some other contenders include Hugo Gonzalez [ESP], Xu Jiayu [CHN], and Keaton Jones [USA].

• Women’s 200-meter backstroke:

  • Just like the 100-meter counterpart, this event figures to be a duel between Kaylee McKeown [AUS] and Regan Smith [USA]. On paper, McKeown has the edge, as she’s the defending Olympic champion, the 2023 World champion, and the current world record holder. However, with a strong race, Smith could give her a run for her money. The battle for the last podium spot should be between Kylie Masse [CAN], Phoebe Bacon [USA], Peng Xuwei [CHN], and Jaclyn Barclay [AUS].

• Men’s 100-meter breaststroke:

  • Adam Peaty [GBR] is coming back from a mental health battle, and is looking to win a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in this event. But to do so, he’ll have to get past Qin Haiyang [CHN], the 2023 World champion. Other contenders include Arno Kamminga [NED], Nicolò Martinenghi [ITA], Sun Jiajun [CHN], Sam Williamson [AUS], and Nic Fink [USA]. 

• Women’s 100-meter breaststroke:

  • This is an interesting one. Tang Qianting [CHN] has this year’s leading time (by close to a second), but her track record of international meets is short. The 2023 World champion, Rūta Meilutytė [LTU], has yet to post a fast time this year. Other names like Tatjana Schoenmaker [RSA], Lilly King [USA], Benedetta Pilato [ITA], and Reona Aoki [JPN] can also factor into the podium (or even gold) discussion.

• Men’s 200-meter breaststroke:

  • At last year’s World championships, Qin Haiyang [CHN] broke Zac Stubblety-Cook [AUS]’s world record in this event and won gold. This year, Qin and Stubblety-Cook (the defending Olympic champion) will go at it again to decide who reigns supreme. French wunderkind Léon Marchand is expected to swim this event at Paris, although he hasn’t done so internationally in the last few years. Other contenders include Matt Fallon [USA], Ippei Watanabe [JPN], Yu Hanaguruma [JPN], Dong Zhihao [CHN], and Caspar Corbeau [NED].

• Women’s 200-meter breaststroke:

  • So far this year, there is a clear-cut top three in this event: Tatjana Schoenmaker [RSA] (the defending Olympic champion and 2023 World champion), Kate Douglass [USA], and Tes Schouten [NED]. The three women all have a decent chance for gold, with others in the field not nearly as close.

• Men’s 100-meter butterfly:

  • This is one of the more wide-open events in this whole list, as so far this year, 12 men have posted a time under 51 seconds, but nobody has yet dipped under 50 seconds. Ever since Caeleb Dressel [USA] returned to strong form this year, he has looked great in this event, culminating in a US Trials win and a top-3 time in the world. He’ll be looking to defend his Olympic title, but he’ll have no shortage of competition.

  • Josh Liendo [CAN] and Noè Ponti [SUI] have posted faster times than Dressel this year, as they both head into the Paris Games full of confidence. Maxime Grousset [FRA] is the 2023 World champion, and has a decent chance to pair that with an Olympic gold. Kristóf Milák [HUN] was narrowly beaten by Dressel at the Tokyo Olympics, and is on a comeback path of his own. Other names to watch include Matt Temple [AUS], Thomas Heilman [USA] (who is only 17 years old), Nyls Korstanje [NED], Ilya Kharun [CAN], Diogo Ribeiro [POR], Katsuhiro Matsumoto [JPN], and Jakub Majerski [POL].

• Women’s 100-meter butterfly:

  • In recent years, a good few swimmers have posted times near the world record, but nobody has been able to surpass it. Then, all of a sudden, it was smashed. During the US Trials, Gretchen Walsh [USA] defied all expectations in this event, and has now posted the two fastest times ever swum. Because of this, she heads to the Olympics as the favorite to claim gold.

  • Even as Walsh has taken up the spotlight recently, there are many contenders hoping to stake their own claims to the top prize. Torri Huske [USA] missed out on a podium spot by the narrowest of margins (one one-hundreths of a second) in Tokyo, and is looking in fine form this year. Maggie Mac Neil [CAN] hopes to defend her Olympic title. Names like Zhang Yufei [CHN], Emma McKeon [AUS], and Angelina Kohler [GER] are also not to be trifled with.

• Men’s 200-meter butterfly:

  • Similar to its 100-meter counterpart, this event possesses a large number of athletes who have the potential to get onto the podium. Kristóf Milák [HUN] is the defending Olympic champion and world record holder, and has the fastest time this year, though not by much. Léon Marchand [FRA] is the 2023 World champion, and should be able to challenge Milák for the crown. Other contenders include the Japanese duo of Tomoru Honda and Genki Terakado, the Italian duo of Alberto Razzetti and Giacomo Carini, the Polish twins of Krzysztof and Michał Chmielewski, as well as Ilya Kharun [CAN] and Thomas Heilman [USA].

• Women’s 200-meter butterfly:

  • Teenage sensation Summer McIntosh [CAN] is the favorite here, but she’ll have a handful of challengers, highlighted by Regan Smith [USA], Elizabeth Dekkers [AUS], and defending Olympic champion Zhang Yufei [CHN]. Other contenders include Helena Bach [DEN], Lana Pudar [BIH], Abbey Connor [AUS], and Alex Shackell [USA].

• Men’s 200-meter individual medley:

  • Léon Marchand [FRA] won this event at last year’s World championships, and could be poised to add an Olympic gold medal here. He, however, will have to face the defending Olympic champion, Wang Shun [CHN], for the title. Others in contention for the podium include ]the British duo of Duncan Scott and Tom Dean, the American duo of Carson Foster and Shaine Casas, as well as Finlay Knox [CAN] and Alberto Razzetti [ITA].

• Women’s 200-meter individual medley:

  • This could go down as the one of the best races of the entire meet, as four swimmers have a legitimate shot at winning gold: Summer McIntosh [CAN] has the highest ceiling; Kate Douglass [USA] is a two-time World champion in this event; Kaylee McKeown [AUS] has the world-leading time this year; and Alex Walsh [USA] is the 2022 World champion and won a silver medal in this event at the Tokyo Olympics. Each of them has slightly different strengths and weaknesses, and all four of them together in the same pool could make for a scintillating race.

  • Beyond these four, other strong competitors include Yu Yiting [CHN], Sydney Pickrem [CAN], Anastasia Gorbenko [ISR], Marrit Steenbergen [NED], and Abbie Wood [GBR]. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the defending Olympic champion in this event, Yui Ohashi [JPN]! This will truly be a stacked event.

• Men’s 400-meter individual medley:

  • At last year’s World championships, Léon Marchand [FRA] shattered the 15-year-old world record in this event held by Michael Phelps and took gold, all with Phelps watching and commentating from close by. Heading into his home Olympics, the Frenchman is the heavy favorite to claim gold. Other contenders for the podium include Carson Foster [USA], Lewis Clareburt [NZL], Daiya Seto [JPN], Max Litchfield [GBR], Alberto Razzetti [ITA], and the defending Olympic champion Chase Kalisz [USA].

• Women’s 400-meter individual medley:

  • Out of all the events that Summer McIntosh [CAN] has qualified for, this may be her strongest. She set a new world record in this event last year, became the 2023 World champion, and bettered her world record earlier this year. She is the heavy favorite to take gold, while Katie Grimes [USA] leads the way for the remaining podium spots. Freya Colbert [GBR], Ella Ramsay [AUS], Anastasia Gorbenko [ISR], and Vivien Jackl [HUN] are also names to watch.

• Men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay:

  • Based on their Trials showing, the USA should come into the Olympics as the favorite, as all six of their potential swimmers have broken 48 seconds individually. However, a few other countries can pose strong challenges. Italy has consistently medaled in recent years, Australia won gold last year, and China won gold at the World championship earlier this year (albeit with a weakened field). Great Britain should also have a strong podium chance, if they can leave their mistakes behind them.

• Women’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay:

  • Australia showcased its female sprint freestyle dominance last year, winning this event at World champs and setting a new world record. They should once again be the heavy favorite going into Paris. The USA leads the way for the rest of the best, followed by China, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

• Men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay:

  • Great Britain should go into Paris as the favorite, but the USA will give them a run for their money. Other podium contenders include Australia, South Korea, China, Germany, and host nation France.

• Women’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay:

  • Barring an unforeseen disaster, Australia should walk away with gold from this event, with potentially a new world record. The race for the other two podium spots should be between the USA, Canada, and China.

• Men’s 4x100-meter medley relay:

  • The USA has never lost this event at an Olympic Games. It’ll attempt to continue this trend this year, but it’ll have serious competition from a number of countries, including China, Great Britain, Australia, Italy, and France.

• Women’s 4x100-meter medley relay:

  • The USA comes into Paris with the world record holder of the (women’s) 100-meter backstroke, the 100-meter breaststroke, and the 100-meter butterfly, as well as a strong freestyle leg. They should be the favorite in this relay, followed by Australia, Canada, and China.

• Mixed 4x100-meter medley relay:

  • This is a slightly wacky event, as each team must have two females and two males as part of their relay, but how they allocate the genders to the strokes is completely up to them. Most countries now utilize a male backstroker and breaststroker, followed by a female butterflier and freestyler. However, a country like Australia, where the top male backstroker lags seriously behind the top female backstroker, could implement a female backstroker and a male butterflier instead. Going into Paris, the usual relay suspects –– Australia, China, the USA, Great Britain, Netherlands, and Canada –– should battle for the podium spots.

• Men’s 10-km open water:

  • A few of the distance swimmers in the pools are also active in open water. Florian Wellbrock [GER] is the defending Olympic champion and won this event at last year’s World champs, while Gregorio Paltrinieri [ITA] won in 2022. A few other names to watch include Kristóf Rasovszky [HUN], Domenico Acerenza [ITA], Athanasios Kynigakis [GRE], and Marc-Antoine Olivier [FRA].

• Women’s 10-km open water:

  • The major players in this event over the last few years have been Leonie Beck [GER], Sharon van Rouwendaal [NED], and Ana Marcela Cunha [BRA]. Cunha and van Rouwendaal are considered two of the best open-water swimmers over the past decade, if not all-time. These three will duke it out with the likes of Chelsea Gubecka [AUS], Katie Grimes [USA], María de Valdés [ESP], Angélica André [POR], and Moesha Johnson [AUS] for the podium.

Competition Schedule

All pool swimming events will take place within 9 days, beginning on July 27 and ending on August 4. On each day, they will be split into a morning session and an evening session. The morning sessions, which will have preliminary rounds only, will begin at 11 AM local time (10 AM London time, 5 AM US Eastern Time, 2 AM US Pacific Time); the evening sessions, which will have the semifinals and finals, will begin at 8:30 PM local time (7:30 PM London time, 2:30 PM US Eastern Time, 11:30 AM US Pacific Time). The open water events will take place on August 8 and 9, and will start at the morning session start time.

Narratives and Excitement Factors

Aside from the notable swimmers and fields listed above for each event, there are two more “overarching narratives” surrounding swimming as we head into Paris (aside from the uncertainties surrounding the Seine River, but that has been covered by many major outlets already):

• The rivalry between the USA and Australia –– The United States and Australia have long been two of the best swimming nations on the planet. The two countries usually bring the competitive spirit out of each other, but that’s especially been the case recently. During last year’s World championships, Australia topped the medal table, nearly doubling the US in terms of gold medals won. Afterwards, veteran (now retired) Australian swimmer Cate Campbell commented on the US team, their fans, and NBC while on an Australian talk show. The words were meant to be light-hearted banter, but they immediately reignited the rivalry, with some US fans not taking too kindly to her comments and NBC using the clip to (incessantly) drive up the narrative. These two teams are projected to go 1-2 in the swimming medal table in Paris –– as for who’ll be in which position? Well, We can only watch to find out.

• The Chinese doping scandal –– Earlier this year, it was revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned drug back in 2021 during the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics, but the incident had been covered up by WADA, as it had accepted CHINADA’s explanation of “contaminated foods” without requesting further information. Some of the positive Chinese swimmers ended up making the Olympic team, and a few went on to win medals at Tokyo. This revelation shocked many around the world and drew ire from the USA, with USADA accusing WADA of being complicit. Ever since then, WADA and USADA have been engaging in a verbal spat, while other countries like Great Britain and Australia have also commented on this matter, their opinions ranging anywhere from diplomatic to disappointed. (China, for its part, has called the findings “complete lies”.) Some of the aforementioned 23 swimmers have made this year’s Olympic team, and could once again procure podium spots. If or when they do so, what will the discussion around them and their results be like (especially in Western countries)? It may not be hard to imagine…

So, in summary, swimming has it all –– both quantity and quality of events; youngsters aiming for their first medals and veterans looking to add to their existing collections; world records raring to be broken; two powerhouse teams going at each other; and some good ol’ fashioned drugs. If you’re into big, muscular bodies powering their way through water, this sport is for you. If you like reaction times, dolphin kicks, and flip turns, this sport is for you. If you want to witness legends, young and old alike, being born in the Paris La Défence Arena (and potentially the Seine River), then you won’t want to miss out on swimming!

It was super cool hearing Hawk on with Barreiro for a few minutes this afternoon! Would be awesome to hear a some more segments like that.