I agree 100%. Only the elite can qualify! What about the athlete who is just off their crazy times and happens to shine with a better time at the Olympics.

but is it though? is that the REAL purpose of the biggest sport celebration in the planet? to just have the 16 best of each event (from 7 countries BTW) to swim against each other? are we sure that’s what we want? Why not using Worlds to define the selective best, and make the olympics the inclusive event that it originally was?

Whilst I can agree regarding the moral turpitude of World Aquatics; I disagree regarding the 3 per nation rule. It was brought in post Moscow due to the podium sweeps of the East German women in both Montreal and Moscow.

Just WHO will benefit from a return to 3 per nation ? Just how many podiums would it actually change ? With regards to the latter; one, maybe two, on either side but that’s far from definite. Regarding the former; in all honesty the only country that would clearly benefit is USA but probably in fewer events than one thinks. AUS women = maybe in a couple of events but for anyone else it will be one isolated event at best.

You are also ignoring the reality that the 5 Ring Circus is bursting at the seams with regards to size and capacity; hence THEY cap competitor numbers. Sadly that means that you cannot realistically extend unlimited “universitality places” to every event of the program.

Agree with you, in principle, regarding FINA prize money but swimming is always going to be fighting an uphill battle for visibility in the media market against established professional sporting leagues, be they domestic or international. The fall of ISL, whilst a shame for the swimmers, was a warning with regards relying one “one man’s money” and there is also the issue of availability of the majority of peak talent for such leagues due to NCAA/school age competitors.

Totally agree.

The olympics to me, is about having the best athletes compete. 15:30 is slow. Finally the olympics will be top to bottom faster than an amateur NCAA meet. Athletes who are not professional will compete in the games. Student athletes who are studying to become doctors and engineers will compete. So, the argument that these times are only attainable if you are a pro is wrong. Amateur athletes will compete in these games while going to school or working. However, I do agree with you about how fina should pay more, but I dont see anyone boycotting, or starting a new organization. At the end of the day, the clock doesnt care what you look like, where youre from, how much money you have, or about any other excuse. The clock is objective; it cannot be corrupted. Dont like the cuts? train harder and sleep more.

I agree …I was a world class Olympic swimmer and water polo player in 1972 when things were different. The relay team that I was on was fourth but we had 11 men and women on our Brazilian team . Only six of them got into the final . But we had a chance to go despite being strictly amateurs like most our competition. A nation could take three in each event!

the question of corruption, FINA was/is very corrupt ! Recent head of Fina Water Polo was a Romanian crook called Marculesku who was a corrupt referee back
in my day ! if your water polo team was playing Russia and he was reffing you would be screwed by him!

I worked for a swim suit company 45 yrs ago and they paid off the Fina members from a Country to get them to wear the Co’s swimsuit ….I quit after less than a year, I could not take the corruption the head of the Company in the big revenue Sports . Adolf Dassler of Adidas was a crook who paid sports federations