How to qualify in Para swimming
How para swimmers qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics
Para swimming at LA28 has 142 medal events (71 men's, 64 women's, 7 mixed relays) and 605 places (325 men, 280 women).
A swimmer needs to be eligible and their country needs a place.
Eligible means: a WPS licence for 2028; international classification before 30 June 2028; a minimum qualification standard (MQS) time in at least one event, swum between 1 September 2026 and 1 July 2028; and racing at two World Series meets plus either the 2027 World Championships or a third World Series.
Places come three ways:
- 2027 World Championships: every gold medallist in an individual event wins a place for themselves; every silver medallist wins a place for their country.
- MQS formula: the rest are shared among countries by how many MQS swimmers they have, weighted by world ranking.
- Invitations: five men and five women.
A swimmer counts for one place only, however many events they swim. Once in, they can swim any number of events for which they meet the minimum entry time (MET) and class rules, up to three swimmers per country per event.
Places by route
| Route | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 World Championships: gold (to the swimmer) and silver (to the NPC) in each individual event | 142 | 128 |
| MQS formula | 178 | 147 |
| Bipartite Commission Invitations | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 325 | 280 |
142 and 128 are two places (gold and silver) for each of the 71 men's and 64 women's events.
The 2027 World Championships
- A gold place belongs to the swimmer, not to an event: they can swim whatever they qualify for.
- A silver place belongs to the country.
- A swimmer who wins gold or silver in several events gets one place; gold beats silver (the place is personal).
- If fewer places are given than planned, the rest go to the MQS formula.
The venue and dates of the 2027 World Championships are still "TBD".
The MQS formula
Swimmers who set an MQS between 1 September 2026 and 31 January 2028 and did not win a place at the World Championships are counted for their country, one per swimmer. Each is weighted by their best world ranking in any individual event on the WPS list of 31 January 2028:
| World rank | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 to 8 | 1 |
| 9 to 12 | 0.8 |
| 13 to 16 | 0.6 |
| Below 16 | 0.5 |
country's places = country's weighted count × (places available ÷ all countries' weighted count)
Men and women are worked out separately. Fractions of .01 to .49 round down; .50 to .99 round up.
Made up to show the arithmetic. An Indian men's squad has three MQS swimmers ranked in the top eight (3 × 1), two ranked 9 to 12 (2 × 0.8) and three ranked below 16 (3 × 0.5): weighted count 6.1. If all countries' men add up to 356 and 178 places are available, India gets 6.1 × (178 ÷ 356) = 3.05, which rounds down to 3 places.
Ring-fenced places
WPS can reserve places for particular sport classes so every event can be held. A country must use such a place as allocated or give it back.
Limits and entries
- At most 34 men's and 28 women's places per country (62 in all).
- Up to three swimmers per individual event.
- One team per relay, if the relay MQS has been met; relay swimmers must be entered in an individual event.
Times (examples)
| Event | Class | Men MQS | Men MET | Women MQS | Women MET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | S10 | 25.36 | 25.76 | 28.80 | 29.45 |
| 100 m freestyle | S10 | 55.35 | 56.38 | 1:03.26 | 1:03.76 |
| 50 m freestyle | S4 | 41.45 | 46.32 | 46.68 | 52.25 |
| 200 m freestyle | S14 | 1:57.77 | 1:59.26 | 2:13.81 | 2:16.63 |
| 400 m freestyle | S9 | 4:26.12 | 4:31.99 | 4:56.09 | 5:03.01 |
The MQS gives a country a place and makes a swimmer eligible; the slightly slower MET lets an eligible swimmer enter extra events. Some events exist only for one gender in a class (shown as N/A in the table).
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 September 2026 | MQS period opens; WPS publishes MQS and MET |
| 2027 (to be set) | World Championships |
| October and November 2027 | World Championships places confirmed |
| 31 January 2028 | Last day for MQS times that count in the formula |
| 1 March 2028 | WPS tells countries their formula places |
| 5 May 2028 | Accreditation Long List due |
| 26 May 2028 | Invitation applications open |
| 1 June 2028 | Countries confirm formula places and declare use |
| 25 June 2028 | Invitation applications close |
| 1 July 2028 | Last day for MQS times that make a swimmer eligible |
| 7 July 2028 | Invitations announced |
| 10 July 2028 | Reallocation |
| 24 July 2028 | Sport entries close |
Unused places become invitations. After 10 July 2028 they go back to the IPC. Para swimming is one of two sports (with para athletics) where the IPC may also give Universality Wild Cards.
Where the document disagrees with itself
- Invitation applications close on 25 June 2028 in the timeline but 1 July 2028 in the invitation method.
- Formula places are counted from MQS times up to 31 January 2028, but swimmers can still become eligible with an MQS up to 1 July 2028.