I have no idea why they use this format anyway. Why not just prelims & finals, that's it. This semi-final stuff just makes no sense to me. Call me old school, but swimming an event 3 times is ridiculous.
That being said, I was always coach to swim for time in prelims, swim for the place at night.
The IOC, FINA, TV Networks and the Swimming fans like the current format. I remember reading somewhere that no one was paying attention to the consolation heats at either the Olympics or World Championships and FINA and maybe the IOC wanted to change the format and add excitment to the swimming meet for both the fans and the swimmers. TV and money could be attracted more and everyone would win out in the end.
It would bring kind of a March madness, NFL, NBA playoff type of enviroment to swimming. However, it wouldn't have the sudden death upset type of feel that those events have. It would give real good swimmers a second chance if they swam bad and not made top 8 and then have another go to make the finals. Also it makes a swimmer swim good two times and the swimmer has to use strategy so he does not tire out and not make it. Also you cannot sandbag or you risk losing out and not making it.
It makes every session mean something and the crowd at the arena and home on TV will pay attention because all events continue to a final and swimmers are eliminated with every heat, semi, and final. The 400 events and longer are not done this way because of the time of the event, the interest of the TV with distance events, and the physical drain of the swimmers swimming the event. The old way with consolation finals was not interesting for both TV, swimmer fan interest, and the swimmers themselves because a lot would scratch if they did not make the finals.
I don't think they are going to change this format and they want this event to be similar to Track & Field because they use this format a lot except for some events like swimming does. Of course its bad for swimmers like Phelps, Hoff, Lochte, and Coughlin because they swim multiple events but for the overall good of the sport FINA and the IOC thinks this is best and NBC does also because they can show more on TV which means more advertising revenue and more ticket revenue at the gate because there will be more interest.
I have no idea why they use this format anyway. Why not just prelims & finals, that's it. This semi-final stuff just makes no sense to me. Call me old school, but swimming an event 3 times is ridiculous.
That being said, I was always coach to swim for time in prelims, swim for the place at night.
There are cases where people swimming multiple events could benefit, though. Without semis the finals sessions would be very quick. With semis some swimmers might get to swim two events which otherwise would have been back-to-back. As a fan I like this format, too. More events to see per session.
But it can also hurt, as it did Coventry yesterday-she made it through but to have only 20 minutes between events is crazy!
Of course its bad for swimmers like Phelps, Hoff, Lochte, and Coughlin because they swim multiple events
There are cases where people swimming multiple events could benefit, though. Without semis the finals sessions would be very quick. With semis some swimmers might get to swim two events which otherwise would have been back-to-back. As a fan I like this format, too. More events to see per session.
