2028 Olympic Swimming Qualifying Times (A & B Standards)

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The Olympic swimming qualification system uses two official time standards established by World Aquatics:

• OQT (Olympic Qualifying Time) — commonly called the “A” standard
• OCT (Olympic Consideration Time) — commonly called the “B” standard

🥇 OQT — “A” Standard

The A standard is the automatic qualifying time.

• Swimmers who achieve the OQT at an approved competition are eligible for Olympic selection.
• Each country may enter up to two swimmers per event who have achieved the A standard.
• Final selection is made by the swimmer’s national federation (e.g., USA Swimming through Olympic Trials).

In major swimming nations, Olympic teams are almost exclusively composed of swimmers who have achieved the A standard.

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🥈 OCT — “B” Standard

The B standard is a consideration time.

• A country may enter one swimmer per event with a B time only if no swimmer from that country has achieved the A standard in that event.
• Entries using B times are subject to overall athlete quotas set by World Aquatics.

B times are typically used by smaller federations to ensure broader international representation.

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Key Notes

• Times must be achieved during the official qualification window.
• Performances must occur at World Aquatics–approved competitions.
• The A standard is set at a level approximating world-class performance, while the B standard allows expanded participation.

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📊 View Official 2028 Olympic Time Standards

You can see the full list of event-by-event A and B standards here:

👉 https://swimstandards.com/times/2028-olympic-qualifying-times-time-standards