FINA proposes new Olympic swimming events: 50m stroke & mens 800m, womens 1500m

FROM USA TODAY ARTICLE:  Traditional sports also are competing and swimming body FINA suggested 50-meter medal events in backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly for men and women, plus 800 freestyle for men and 1,500 free for women.

"Is it totally different? No, but it's important as well," Dubi said, highlighting swimming's "super high" ratings. "Every time you put it on TV there is consumption."

FINA also seeks more entrants in women's water polo (12 teams instead of eight), open-water swimming (30, up from 25), diving and synchronized swimming team event.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/04/08/ioc-mulls-requests-for-new-events-at-2016-olympics/2063965/

From World Swim Coaches Association Newsletter:  A report indicates that FINA has again requested expanding the Olympics events, this time for 2016. The report indicates that for Swimming, FINA has requested that the 50s of stroke be added, as well as the men's 800 free and the women's 1500 free. FINA has also requested expanding the 10K fields to 30 swimmers each; expanding the women's Water Polo tournament to 12 teams (up from 8), and adding team events for Diving and Synchro.

The requests are part of a cyclical system the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has in place, where the program for the Olympics is reviewed for each edition of the Games. FINA is among multiple international federation requesting changes and/or additions to the number of medal events and participants each sport has at the Games. The IOC will decide later this summer on the program for the 2016 Olympics.