# Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics

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The swimming competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were held from 27 July to 9 August 2024. Pool events (27 July to 4 August) took place at the Paris La Défense Arena, with the two-day marathon swimming (8 to 9 August) staged at Pont Alexandre III through the Seine River.

## Events

Similar to the 2020 program format, swimming featured a total of 37 events (18 each for men and women and 1 mixed event), including two 10 km open-water marathons. The following events were contested (all pool events are long-course, and distances are in meters unless stated):
* Freestyle: 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500;
* Backstroke: 100 and 200;
* Breaststroke: 100 and 200;
* Butterfly: 100 and 200;
* Individual medley: 200 and 400;
* Relays: 4 × 100 free, 4 × 200 free; 4 × 100 medley (men's, women's, and mixed)
* Marathon: 10 kilometres

### Schedule

The swimming program schedule for Paris 2024 occurred in two segments. For the pool events, similar to the case for the 2012 Games, prelims ran in the morning, followed by the semifinal and final sessions in the evening and the night session (due to the substantial fees NBC has paid for rights to the Olympics, the IOC allowed NBC to have influence on event scheduling to maximize U.S. television ratings when possible; NBC agreed to a $7.75 billion contract extension on 7 May 2014, to air the Olympics through the 2032 Games and is also one of the major sources of revenue for the IOC). Several significant changes were instituted to the swimming schedule, with the program extending to nine days for the first time as opposed to the regular eight-day format. The extra day would be used to alleviate the schedules of the swimmers who would compete in the individual and relay events at the same period. Moreover, it relieved a packed schedule that witnessed three new events added to the program at the previous Games.
In February 2024, a change was announced to the original schedule for Days 5 and 6, after lobbying by the French swimming governing body to give Léon Marchand a chance to win both the men's 200 metre butterfly and 200 metre breaststroke events. All events remain on the originally planned days, but the event order was modified to create a longer gap between the 200 metre butterfly and 200 metre breaststroke events.
Men's :
| Date → | 27 Jul | 27 Jul | 28 Jul | 28 Jul | 29 Jul | 29 Jul | 30 Jul | 30 Jul | 31 Jul | 31 Jul | 1 Aug | 1 Aug | 2 Aug | 2 Aug | 3 Aug | 3 Aug | 4 Aug | 4 Aug | 8 Aug | 8 Aug | 9 Aug | 9 Aug |
| Event ↓ | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 50 m freestyle | | | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | |
| 100 m freestyle | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m freestyle | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 400 m freestyle | H | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 800 m freestyle | | | | | H | | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1500 m freestyle | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | | | F | | | | |
| 100 m backstroke | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m backstroke | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | |
| 100 m breaststroke | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m breaststroke | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 100 m butterfly | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | |
| 200 m butterfly | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m individual medley | | | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | |
| 400 m individual medley | | | H | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | H | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | | | | | | | H | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | | | F | | | | |
| 10 km open water | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | F | |
| Women's |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date → | 27 Jul | 27 Jul | 28 Jul | 28 Jul | 29 Jul | 29 Jul | 30 Jul | 30 Jul | 31 Jul | 31 Jul | 1 Aug | 1 Aug | 2 Aug | 2 Aug | 3 Aug | 3 Aug | 4 Aug | 4 Aug | 8 Aug | 8 Aug | 9 Aug | 9 Aug |
| Event ↓ | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 50 m freestyle | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | |
| 100 m freestyle | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m freestyle | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 400 m freestyle | H | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 800 m freestyle | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | | | F | | | | | | |
| 1500 m freestyle | | | | | | | H | | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 100 m backstroke | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m backstroke | | | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | |
| 100 m breaststroke | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m breaststroke | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | |
| 100 m butterfly | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m butterfly | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | | | | | |
| 200 m individual medley | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | ½ | | F | | | | | | |
| 400 m individual medley | | | | | H | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | H | F | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | | | | | | | | | | | H | F | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | | | F | | | | |
| 10 km open water | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | F | | | |
| Mixed |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date → | 27 Jul | 27 Jul | 28 Jul | 28 Jul | 29 Jul | 29 Jul | 30 Jul | 30 Jul | 31 Jul | 31 Jul | 1 Aug | 1 Aug | 2 Aug | 2 Aug | 3 Aug | 3 Aug | 4 Aug | 4 Aug | 8 Aug | 8 Aug | 9 Aug | 9 Aug |
| Event ↓ | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay | | | | | | | | | | | | | H | | | F | | | | | | |

## Qualification
### Individual events

World Aquatics establishes qualifying times for individual events. The time standards consist of two types, namely an "Olympic Qualifying Time" (OQT, colloquially known as the A-cut) and an "Olympic Consideration time" (OCT, colloquially known as the B-cut). Each country could enter a maximum of two swimmers per event, provided that they meet the (faster) qualifying time. A country could enter one swimmer per event that meets the invitation standard. Any swimmer who met the "qualifying" time would entered into the event for the Games; a swimmer meeting the "invitation" standard was eligible for entry allotted by ranking. If a country did not have a swimmer who meets either of the qualifying standards, it may have entered one male and one female. A country that does not receive an allocation spot but enters at least one swimmer achieving a qualifying standard might have entered those with the highest ranking.

### Relay events

Each relay event features 16 teams, composed of the following:
* 3: top three teams based on their final results achieved at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan
* 13: top thirteen teams, with the fastest times based upon the results achieved in their preliminary heat and finals performances in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka and 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, excluding those teams already qualified in that event from the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.
All athletes entered in individual events could be used in relays, even if they had not achieved the OCT for the corresponding stroke and distance of the relay in which they are entered. Relay teams may compose of additional athletes according to the number of events they have qualified for.

### Open-water swimming

The men's and women's 10 km races featured 22 swimmers each, three less than those in the Tokyo 2020 roster:
* 3: the three medalists in the 10 km races at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan
* 13: the top thirteen swimmers vying for qualification at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar
* 5: one representative from each FINA continent (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania).
* 1: from the host nation (France) if not qualified by other means. If one or more French open water swimmers qualified regularly and directly, their slots would have been reallocated to the next highest-ranked eligible swimmers from the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.

## Medal summary
### Medal table

* Host nation (France)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States | 8 | 13 | 7 | 28 |
| 2 | Australia | 7 | 9 | 3 | 19 |
| 3 | France* | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Canada | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 5 | Hungary | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | China | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 |
| 7 | Italy | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | Sweden | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Great Britain | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 10 | Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Ireland | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 14 | Romania | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Greece | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Japan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Hong Kong | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 18 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (19 entries) | Totals (19 entries) | 37 | 38 | 36 | 111 |

### Men's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 50 m freestyle details | Cameron McEvoy Australia | 21.25 | Ben Proud Great Britain | 21.30 | Florent Manaudou France | 21.56 |
| 100 m freestyle details | Pan Zhanle China | 46.40 WR | Kyle Chalmers Australia | 47.48 | David Popovici Romania | 47.49 |
| 200 m freestyle details | David Popovici Romania | 1:44.72 | Matthew Richards Great Britain | 1:44.74 | Luke Hobson United States | 1:44.79 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Lukas Märtens Germany | 3:41.78 | Elijah Winnington Australia | 3:42.21 | Kim Woo-min South Korea | 3:42.50 |
| 800 m freestyle details | Daniel Wiffen Ireland | 7:38.19 OR, ER | Bobby Finke United States | 7:38.75 | Gregorio Paltrinieri Italy | 7:39.38 |
| 1500 m freestyle details | Bobby Finke United States | 14:30.67 WR | Gregorio Paltrinieri Italy | 14:34.55 | Daniel Wiffen Ireland | 14:39.63 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Thomas Ceccon Italy | 52.00 | Xu Jiayu China | 52.32 | Ryan Murphy United States | 52.39 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Hubert Kós Hungary | 1:54.26 | Apostolos Christou Greece | 1:54.82 NR | Roman Mityukov Switzerland | 1:54.85 NR |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Nicolò Martinenghi Italy | 59.03 | Adam Peaty Great BritainNic Fink United States | 59.05 | Not awarded as there was a tie for silver. | Not awarded as there was a tie for silver. |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Léon Marchand France | 2:05.85 OR, ER | Zac Stubblety-Cook Australia | 2:06.79 | Caspar Corbeau Netherlands | 2:07.90 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Kristóf Milák Hungary | 49.90 | Josh Liendo Canada | 49.99 NR | Ilya Kharun Canada | 50.45 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Léon Marchand France | 1:51.21 OR, NR | Kristóf Milák Hungary | 1:51.75 | Ilya Kharun Canada | 1:52.80 NR |
| 200 m individual medley details | Léon Marchand France | 1:54.06 OR, ER | Duncan Scott Great Britain | 1:55.31 | Wang Shun China | 1:56.00 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Léon Marchand France | 4:02.95 OR | Tomoyuki Matsushita Japan | 4:08.62 | Carson Foster United States | 4:08.66 |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay details | United States Jack Alexy (47.67) Chris Guiliano (47.33) Hunter Armstrong (46.75) Caeleb Dressel (47.53) Ryan Held Matt King | 3:09.28 | Australia Jack Cartwright (48.03) Flynn Southam (48.00) Kai Taylor (47.73) Kyle Chalmers (46.59) William Yang | 3:10.35 | Italy Alessandro Miressi (48.04) Thomas Ceccon (47.44) Paolo Conte Bonin (48.16) Manuel Frigo (47.06) Lorenzo Zazzeri Leonardo Deplano | 3:10.70 |
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay details | Great Britain James Guy (1:45.09) Tom Dean (1:45.28) Matt Richards (1:45.11) Duncan Scott (1:43.95) Jack McMillan Kieran Bird | 6:59.43 | United States Luke Hobson (1:45.55) Carson Foster (1:45.31) Drew Kibler (1:45.12) Kieran Smith (1:44.80) Brooks Curry Blake Pieroni Chris Guiliano | 7:00.78 | Australia Maximillian Giuliani (1:45.99) Flynn Southam (1:45.53) Elijah Winnington (1:45.19) Thomas Neill (1:45.27) Kai Taylor Zac Incerti | 7:01.98 |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay details | China Xu Jiayu (52.37) Qin Haiyang (57.98) Sun Jiajun (51.19) Pan Zhanle (45.92) Wang Changhao | 3:27.46 | United States Ryan Murphy (52.44) Nic Fink (58.97) Caeleb Dressel (49.41) Hunter Armstrong (47.19) Charlie Swanson Thomas Heilman Jack Alexy | 3:28.01 | France Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (52.60) Léon Marchand (58.62) Maxime Grousset (49.57) Florent Manaudou (47.59) Clément Secchi Rafael Fente-Damers | 3:28.38 NR |
| 10 km open water details | Kristóf Rasovszky Hungary | 1:50:52.7 | Oliver Klemet Germany | 1:50:54.8 | Dávid Betlehem Hungary | 1:51:09.0 |

### Women's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 50 m freestyle details | Sarah Sjöström Sweden | 23.71 | Meg Harris Australia | 23.97 | Zhang Yufei China | 24.20 |
| 100 m freestyle details | Sarah Sjöström Sweden | 52.16 | Torri Huske United States | 52.29 | Siobhán Haughey Hong Kong | 52.33 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Mollie O'Callaghan Australia | 1:53.27 OR | Ariarne Titmus Australia | 1:53.81 | Siobhán Haughey Hong Kong | 1:54.55 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Ariarne Titmus Australia | 3:57.49 | Summer McIntosh Canada | 3:58.37 | Katie Ledecky United States | 4:00.86 |
| 800 m freestyle details | Katie Ledecky United States | 8:11.04 | Ariarne Titmus Australia | 8:12.29 OC | Paige Madden United States | 8:13.00 |
| 1500 m freestyle details | Katie Ledecky United States | 15:30.02 OR | Anastasiya Kirpichnikova France | 15:40.35 NR | Isabel Marie Gose Germany | 15:41.16 NR |
| 100 m backstroke details | Kaylee McKeown Australia | 57.33 OR, =OC | Regan Smith United States | 57.66 | Katharine Berkoff United States | 57.98 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Kaylee McKeown Australia | 2:03.73 OR | Regan Smith United States | 2:04.26 | Kylie Masse Canada | 2:05.57 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Tatjana Smith South Africa | 1:05.28 | Tang Qianting China | 1:05.54 | Mona McSharry Ireland | 1:05.59 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Kate Douglass United States | 2:19.24 AM | Tatjana Smith South Africa | 2:19.60 | Tes Schouten Netherlands | 2:21.05 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Torri Huske United States | 55.59 | Gretchen Walsh United States | 55.63 | Zhang Yufei China | 56.21 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Summer McIntosh Canada | 2:03.03 OR, WJ, AM | Regan Smith United States | 2:03.84 NR | Zhang Yufei China | 2:05.09 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Summer McIntosh Canada | 2:06.56 OR, WJ, NR | Kate Douglass United States | 2:06.92 | Kaylee McKeown Australia | 2:08.08 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Summer McIntosh Canada | 4:27.71 | Katie Grimes United States | 4:33.40 | Emma Weyant United States | 4:34.93 |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay details | Australia Mollie O'Callaghan (52.24) Shayna Jack (52.35) Emma McKeon (52.39) Meg Harris (51.94) Olivia Wunsch Bronte Campbell | 3:28.92 OR | United States Kate Douglass (52.98) Gretchen Walsh (52.55) Torri Huske (52.06) Simone Manuel (52.61) Abbey Weitzeil Erika Connolly | 3:30.20 AM | China Yang Junxuan (52.48) Cheng Yujie (52.76) Zhang Yufei (52.75) Wu Qingfeng (52.31) Yu Yiting | 3:30.30 AS |
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay details | Australia Mollie O'Callaghan (1:53.52) Lani Pallister (1:55.61) Brianna Throssell (1:56.00) Ariarne Titmus (1:52.95) Jamie Perkins Shayna Jack | 7:38.08 OR | United States Claire Weinstein (1:54.88) Paige Madden (1:55.63) Katie Ledecky (1:54.93) Erin Gemmell (1:55.40) Anna Peplowski Simone Manuel Alex Shackell | 7:40.86 | China Yang Junxuan (1:54.52) Li Bingjie (1:55.05) Ge Chutong (1:57.45) Liu Yaxin (1:55.32) Tang Muhan Kong Yaqi | 7:42.34 |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay details | United States Regan Smith (57.28) OR Lilly King (1:04.90) Gretchen Walsh (55.03) Torri Huske (52.42) Katharine Berkoff Emma Weber Alex Shackell Kate Douglass | 3:49.63 WR | Australia Kaylee McKeown (57.72) Jenna Strauch (1:07.31) Emma McKeon (56.25) Mollie O'Callaghan (51.83) Iona Anderson Ella Ramsay Alexandria Perkins Meg Harris | 3:53.11 | China Wan Letian (59.81) Tang Qianting (1:05.79) Zhang Yufei (55.52) Yang Junxuan (52.11) Wang Xue'er Yu Yiting Wu Qingfeng | 3:53.23 |
| 10 km open water details | Sharon van Rouwendaal Netherlands | 2:03:34.2 | Moesha Johnson Australia | 2:03:39.7 | Ginevra Taddeucci Italy | 2:03:42.8 |
$^b$ Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.

### Mixed events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay details | United States Ryan Murphy (52.08) Nic Fink (58.29) Gretchen Walsh (55.18) Torri Huske (51.88) Regan Smith Charlie Swanson Caeleb Dressel Abbey Weitzeil | 3:37.43 WR | China Xu Jiayu (52.13) Qin Haiyang (57.82) Zhang Yufei (55.64) Yang Junxuan (51.96) Tang Qianting Pan Zhanle | 3:37.55 AS | Australia Kaylee McKeown (57.90) Joshua Yong (58.43) Matthew Temple (50.42) Mollie O'Callaghan (52.01) Iona Anderson Zac Stubblety-Cook Emma McKeon Kyle Chalmers | 3:38.76 OC |
$^b$ Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.

## Records

The following world and Olympic records were set during the competition:

### World records

| Date | Round | Event | Time | Name | Nation |
| 31 July | Final | Men's 100 metre freestyle | 46.40 | Pan Zhanle | China |
| 3 August | Final | Mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay | 3:37.43 | Ryan Murphy (52.08) Nic Fink (58.29) Gretchen Walsh (55.18) Torri Huske (51.88) | United States |
| 4 August | Final | Men's 1500 metre freestyle | 14:30.67 | Bobby Finke | United States |
| 4 August | Final | Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay | 3:49.63 | Regan Smith (57.28) Lilly King (1:04.90) Gretchen Walsh (55.03) Torri Huske (52.42) | United States |

### Olympic records

| Date | Round | Event | Established for | Time | Name | Nation |
| 27 July | Semifinal 1 | Women's 100 metre butterfly | (same) | 55.38 | Gretchen Walsh | United States |
| 27 July | Final | Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay | (same) | 3:28.92 | Mollie O'Callaghan (52.24) Shayna Jack (52.35) Emma McKeon (52.39) Meg Harris (51.94) | Australia |
| 27 July | Final | Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay | Men's 100 metre freestyle | 46.92 | Pan Zhanle | China |
| 28 July | Final | Men's 400 metre individual medley | (same) | 4:02.95 | Léon Marchand | France |
| 29 July | Final | Women's 200 metre freestyle | (same) | 1:53.27 | Mollie O'Callaghan | Australia |
| 30 July | Final | Women's 100 metre backstroke | (same) | 57.33 | Kaylee McKeown | Australia |
| 30 July | Final | Men's 800 metre freestyle | (same) | 7:38.19 | Daniel Wiffen | Ireland |
| 31 July | Final | Men's 200 metre butterfly | (same) | 1:51.21 | Léon Marchand | France |
| 31 July | Final | Women's 1500 metre freestyle | (same) | 15:30.02 | Katie Ledecky | United States |
| 31 July | Final | Men's 200 metre breaststroke | (same) | 2:05.85 | Léon Marchand | France |
| 1 August | Final | Women's 200 metre butterfly | (same) | 2:03.03 | Summer McIntosh | Canada |
| 1 August | Final | Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay | (same) | 7:38.08 | Mollie O'Callaghan (1:53.52) Lani Pallister (1:55.61) Brianna Throssell (1:56.00) Ariarne Titmus (1:52.95) | Australia |
| 2 August | Final | Women's 200 metre backstroke | (same) | 2:03.73 | Kaylee McKeown | Australia |
| 2 August | Final | Men's 200 metre individual medley | (same) | 1:54.06 | Léon Marchand | France |
| 3 August | Semifinal 2 | Women's 50 metre freestyle | (same) | 23.66 | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden |
| 3 August | Final | Women's 200 metre individual medley | (same) | 2:06.56 | Summer McIntosh | Canada |
| 4 August | Final | Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay | Women's 100 metre backstroke | 57.28 | Regan Smith | United States |

## Chinese swimmers doping allegations

On 20 April 2024, The New York Times revealed that 23 members of the Chinese swimming team tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug called Trimetazidine seven months prior to the start of the 2020 Summer Games and were allowed to participate in the games with some of the swimmers winning medals. Following the publication of the report, Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, accused the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) of covering up doping by Chinese swimmers.
WADA argued the amount detected was too low to enhance performance. CHINADA, who had reported the results to WADA and FINA (now World Aquatics), blamed them on contamination from a hotel kitchen, a rationale that potentially exempts findings from being made public. WADA released a statement, explaining that "[it] was not possible for WADA scientists or investigators to conduct their enquiries on the ground in China given the extreme restrictions in place due to a COVID-related lockdown. WADA ultimately concluded that it was not in a position to disprove the possibility that contamination was the source of TMZ and it was compatible with the analytical data in the file." World Aquatics's investigation agreed with WADA.
After the story was leaked, WADA was criticised by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and athletes. WADA's choice of a Swiss attorney to lead an investigation into the matter also drew criticism because he was hand-picked by the agency. Experts interviewed by The New York Times said trace amounts of TMZ can be detected near the end of a doping excretion period but could not rule out contamination either.
In a second statement, Tygart accused both the WADA and the CHINADA for not being transparent about the findings and keeping "clean athletes in the dark". WADA was also accused of having a double-standard as Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for TMZ and used the same excuse, but was subsequently banned for four years. WADA argued, based on non-published information and pharmacokinetics, that contamination would not have been possible in Valieva's case, but in the case of the Chinese swimmers, that no international competition was occurring around the time of the positive tests, only athletes who stayed at one of the hotels tested positive, and some individuals alternated between positive and negative results all point to contamination, not doping. In May 2024, WADA announced that it held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the doping case of the Chinese swimmers.
Eleven of the 23 swimmers involved in the controversy were named to the 2024 Chinese Olympic swimming team.
On July 9, independent Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier concluded that WADA did not mishandle the Chinese swimmers' doping case or show bias. His interim report stated, "There is nothing in the file... to suggest that WADA showed favouritism or in any way favoured the 23 swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) between January 1 and 3, 2021." He also found no evidence of "interference or meddling" from within WADA, Chinada, or Chinese authorities. Cottier stated Wada's decision not to appeal against Chinada's conclusion was "reasonable, both from the point of view of the facts and the applicable rules". WADA President Witold Bańka welcomed the conclusion and reconfirmed the importance of clarifying these "two fundamental questions in advance of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
Per reports from multiple news outlets, the Chinese swimming delegation has reportedly been tested nearly 200 times since arriving in Paris. According to World Aquatics on 2 August 2024, China’s swimmers in Paris have been tested an average of 21 times by various anti-doping organizations since the start of the year. Drug-testing data in 2023 from the International Testing Agency also found that Chinese swimmers had been tested more often than swimmers of any other nationality even before news of their positive tests were made public.
Former Chinese diver Gao Min alleged in a post on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo that the Chinese swimmers' poor performance in the games was due to excessive drug testing they underwent. Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang said the tests "come early in the morning before we're even awake, during midday rest periods, forcing us to rest on hotel lobby sofas, and even late at night, keeping us up past midnight". Wang Xue'er told a reporter from the Mandarin service of Radio Free Asia that the drug tests were okay, while Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei stated that the drug tests did not affect her much.
British swimming star Adam Peaty questioned China's performances at the 2024 Summer Olympics, alluding to the cover-up of positive doping cases by Chinese swimmers, and expressing dissatisfaction with the World Anti-Doping Agency's efforts to combat cheating in sports. American swimmer Caeleb Dressel emphasized the need to put trust in WADA and said that he was mainly focused on racing really tough, acknowledging that China were the better team. Pan Zhanle was the only swimmer from the Chinese team, to have won an individual gold in Paris 2024 and also breaking his own world record. Despite not being one of the 23 swimmers who had tested positive to TMZ, he has similarly received allegations of doping. Kyle Chalmers who came in second to him at the 100 freestyle final, however defended Pan and stated that he was confident that Pan wasn’t doping and that also he “deserves that gold medal" in [100 free]. David Popovici also came to Pan's defense by stating that everyone is innocent until proven guilty and adding in that, “This is only motivation for us. I mean, we can’t be mad, we can only congratulate him. This is what sports is.”