Olympic 10k Open Water Venue

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How many competitors in the Olympic 10K event? I thought I read the US is sending 2 men and 2 women to Spain but from there only 10 will swim in the Olympics event. Can anyone confirm? If it is only 10, that seems like such a small number, perhaps totally driven by the chosen rowing venue. But couldn't there be heats, maybe 10 days or so before the final? Couldn't the course be divided in the middle by a cable instead of running next to the stands? So many possibilities. --mjm

There will be a total of 25 athletes in both the men's and women's 10K race at the Olympics. The 2008 FINA Open Water 10K World Championships in Seville, Spain will be the first qualifying meet for the 2008 Olympic Games 10K Swimming Marathon. At this race, the top 10 male and the top 10 female finishers in this race will automatically qualify for the Olympic 10K Swimming Marathon. The remaining 15 finalists will be chosen as follows: 5 from the top finisher from each of the 5 designated continents 1 athlete from the host nation of China The top 9 or 10 finishers at the FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier to be held in Beijing at the actual Olympic 10K course in May 2008. Note: this number depends on the means in which the Chinese representative is selected. For more information on how these elite open water athletes race, please feel free to go to www.10Kswim.com.

Dear Hopper, Yes, the Olympic 10K Swimming Marathon will be held at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park which is located a distance away from the main Olympic stadium and village. The course will be a typical set-up for a FINA 10K race in a rowing basin. That is, the swimmers will swim "down" the outside of line 1 (approximately 1K), across the width of the rowing basin around a set of turn buoys, and "up" the outside of lane 8 (approximately 1K) for a total of 2.5K for each loop. The pace (without turns) will probably vary between 1:10 per hundred (without turns) for the first few loops to a sprint of under 1:05 per hundred towards the last loop. The water in the basin is circulated and is clean, both in terms of clarity and World Health Organization drinking water standards. This has been confirmed by doctors dispatched by the USOC. The athletes will be swimming at a fast pace in a large pack, and will be easily able to see each other throughout the race. There will be very packed conditions around the turn buoys, feeding pontoons and coming into the finish. It should be extraordinarily exciting for spectators and television/online viewers alike. The freshwater venue is expected to be a very warm (about 85 degree F) under generally humid conditions, which is a major factor in how the athletes will pace and hydrate themselves during the 1:50 - 2 hour race. For more information, you can visit www.10kswim.com that will soon be redesigned with the latest information about this Olympic Swimming Marathon.

Thanks for all the info. I consider myself an experienced open water swimmer, but I feel way behind on knowledge of typical FINA 10k race formats. Maybe we'll see more of this type of race in the U.S. after the Olympics. I have to admit, however, that I prefer to race in waters with more variables: wind, waves, currents, flotsam and jetsam, etc. Hopper www.swimvacation.com