FINA releases relay qualification criteria for Paris 2024

The international federation for swimming FINA has released the qualification criteria, including relay guidelines for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. As with the Tokyo 2020 Games, there will be 16 teams participating in each relay event.

Similar to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, 12 relay teams will be selected based on the results of the World Championships in 2023.

Aside from the 12 teams that will be selected for the World Championships, the other four teams will also be selected based on the fastest times that will be recorded during the qualifying period, which starts on March 1, 2023 thru May 31, 2024.

All athletes who are entered in the Paris 2024 Olympics are allowed to participate in relays regardless of their Olympic Consideration Time related to distance and corresponding stroke event.

As usual, relay-only swimmers will be allowed to participate in the event. National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are allowed to bring up to 8 relay-only athletes to the meet, depending on the number of relays they qualify for.

However, there are certain rules that apply to relay-only swimmers. According to FINA, if an organization brings in a relay-only athlete, they are required to participate in at least one relay, either from a preliminary or finals event. If they fail to do so, the relay participation in the event will be nullified. An exception can be made if the athlete has a medical emergency subject to an approval by FINA.