One of the oldest sports in the world, swimming, attained its elite status way back in 1896. It was the inaugural Olympic year and the lanes of Bay of Zea, Athens, saw swimming get recognized as one of the initial nine sporting Olympic events. For the first 16 years, it would take place as a male-exclusive event. However, as the storm of the sporting renaissance hit, the female category was introduced in 1912 in Stockholm. Since then, it has been an endless parade of champions taking the sport to unprecedented levels of eliteness. 

When Mark Spitz won 7 Olympic golds in Munich, the world watched in awe. But soon, that would become a regular occurrence as the likes of Kristin Otto, Debbie Meyer, Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky ruled the sport. And while the Paris Olympics 2024 is just days away from now, swimming royalties are once again all set to make a splash and merge the taste of chlorine with Olympic greatness. With a total of 852 swimmers all set to rumble in Paris, here’s everything you need to know about swimming in the Paris Olympics 2024. 

When and where is the swimming event taking place at the Paris Olympics 2024?

The Paris Olympics 2024 will witness a total of 35 swimming events that will pan across a timeline of July 27 to August 4. For most of the events, the action will be coming live from the Paris La Defense Arena. This is a state-of-the-art modern indoor facility that has been specially modified to accommodate swimming lanes for the Olympics. Reminiscent of the Lucas Oil Stadium for the US swimming trials, La Defense Arena usually hosts Racing 92, a French rugby unit in Paris. 

In order to clear the clutter of back-to-back events, the Paris Olympics will witness a nine-day swimming schedule in contrast to its usual eight-day routine. According to reports from Olympics.com, the prelims will be conducted in the morning, with the finals being scheduled at nighttime. Taking the center stage will be a bunch of world-class athletes, waiting to pounce on Olympic glory. The likes of Leon Marchand, Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Adam Peaty, and Emma McKeon will be fixated on adding golden feathers to their already bejeweled crown. 

July 27 will mark the beginning of Day 1 of the 2024 Olympics swimming. With the prelims scheduled for 11 a.m. ET and the finals at 8:30 p.m. ET, here’s a look at the full schedule for swimming at the Paris Olympics 2024. 

Saturday, July 27 (Day One)

Men’s 400 Freestyle
Women’s 400 Freestyle
Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay
Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay

Sunday, July 28 (Day Two)

Men’s 400 IM
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Men’s 100 Breaststroke

Monday, July 29 (Day Three)

Women’s 400 IM
Men’s 200 Freestyle
Men’s 100 Backstroke
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Women’s 200 Freestyle

Tuesday, July 30 (Day Four)

Women’s 100 Backstroke
Men’s 800 Freestyle
Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay

Wednesday, July 31 (Day Five)

Women’s 100 Freestyle
Men’s 200 Butterfly
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Women’s 1500 Freestyle
Men’s 100 Freestyle

Thursday, August 1 (Day Six)

Women’s 200 Butterfly
Men’s 200 Backstroke
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Women’s 800 Freestyle Relay

Friday, August 2 (Day Seven)

Men’s 50 Freestyle
Women’s 200 Backstroke
Men’s 200 IM

Saturday, August 3 (Day Eight)

Men’s 100 Butterfly
Women’s 200 IM
Women’s 800 Freestyle
Mixed 400 Medley Relay

Sunday, August 4 (Day Nine)

Women’s 50 Freestyle
Men’s 1500 Freestyle
Men’s 400 Medley Relay
Women’s 400 Medley Relay

However, apart from the indoor events, the marathon events and the Paralympics triathlon will also feature as part of the Paris Olympics. Sadly, the materialization of the said events is currently cast in a huge shadow of doubt. 

How can you watch swimming at the Paris Olympics 2024?

With just days to go for the Opening Ceremony, Seine is in murky territory. Literally! Eau de Paris, a government-affiliated water supply company, submitted shocking results last month. The reports stated that the levels of E.coli pollution were unsafe in the Seine. Another group named Surfrider Foundation Europe conducted a further 14 tests on samples from the Seine. Sadly enough, none of the reports came out positive. 

Making matters worse, the IOC has declared that they might scrap the triathlon and instead, make the event a duathlon. Thus, facing immense heat from worldwide fans and critics, the authorities are trying hard to make things straight. In an attempt to justify the safety levels of the River Seine, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo recently swam in the waters of the Seine to probe whether swimming in Seine was totally safe. Nonetheless, irrespective of what transpires, fans are flocking to Paris to catch a glimpse of their favorite athletes in action. 

Providing all the details, here’s how you can catch all the action live from Paris. For the ones traveling to Paris, the lowest and highest tickets for artistic swimming are priced at €24 and €190 respectively, for the qualification events. However, for the finals, you will have to shed an extra bit from your wallets. The lowest and the highest tickets will cost you €85 and €330, respectively. Interested ones can log in to the official Paris Olympics website to purchase their tickets. 

Meanwhile, while the travel to Paris is expensive and hefty, many would prefer to catch the excitement from the comfort of their home. A subscription to Peacock will be enough to catch all the action live. And for those who wish to live stream, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app or the NBC Olympics app are your portals to go. These websites and applications will not only help you watch the Olympics on the go, but are also compatible with laptops, tablets, and televisions. 

USA Network and NBC will be the two channels to tune in if you prefer to enjoy it on the big screen. However, these channels will only be available for the American audiences. For audiences worldwide, here’s a detailed list to help you out. 

• English – BBC, RTE (Ireland), NBC (USA), Discovery (Max) (UK and Ireland), Eurosport
• German – ARD (Das Erste), ZDF, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Spanish – RTVE, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Italian – RAI (Rai 1, Rai 2, Rai Sport, RaiPlay), Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Portuguese – RTP, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Greek – ERT, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Dutch – NOS, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Belgian – RTBF, VRT, VAR, RMB, Discovery (Max), Eurosport and Clear Channel (station advertising)
• Switzerland – Discovery (Max), SSRchannels, Eurosport
• Canadian – CBC/Radio Canada, TSN, RDS, Sportnet
• Australian –9Now
• Brazil – Grupo Globo, CazéTV (social networks)
• Mexico – TelevisaUnivision, TV Azteca, Imagen Telvision
• Chinese – CCTV, Migu, Douyin, Kuaishu, Tencent
• Japanese – Japan Consortium (14 public and private channels, including NHK, etc.)
• Korean – KBS, IMBC, SBS
• Bulgarian – BNT1, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Danish – DR, TV 2, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Estonian – Postimees, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Lithuanian-TV3, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Latvian – LTV, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Finnish – Yle, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Norwegian – NRK, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Swedish – Kanal 5, Eurosport, Discovery (Max)
• Icelandic – RUV, Discovery (Max)
• Ukrainian – Suspilne, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Hungarian – MTVA (M4 Sports), Discovery, Eurosport
• Polish – TVP, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Romanian – TVR, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Slovak – RTVS, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Slovenian – RTVSLO, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Czech – CT, Discovery (Max), Eurosport
• Turkish – Discovery (Max), TRT
• Morocco – SNRT, BeIn Sports
• Algeria – BeIn Sports
• Saudi Arabia – BeIn Sports
• Russian – TSG (but Russia may not broadcast the Olympic Games).
• Indian – Doordarshan (YouTube channel)
• Indonesian-EMTEK

Thus, with everything sorted, the wait will now be for July 26, 2024, when the largest spectacle of modern-day sports will kick off to a dazzling start in Paris.