June 2023 - December 2023 Monthly Athlete Stipend Qualifying Criteria: Open Water

Up to 4 male and 4 female athletes will be offered athlete stipends as outlined below:

• The best placing U.S. athlete from the 2023 USA Swimming 10K Open Water National Championships
• The two best placing U.S. athletes from the 2023 World Aquatics Open Water Tour- Italy (10K Event)* will be offered funding. If an athlete has already qualified for stipends from the point above, then the next best placing U.S. athlete will receive funding so that two (2) unique males and two (2) unique females are offered stipends based on their performance at this event.
• A fourth athlete will be offered stipends based on their performance at the 2023 World Aquatics Open Water Tour- Italy (10K Event), only if they are able to finish in the top 25 amongst all competitors. In the event of a tie in this category, the athlete with the best placing finish at the 2023 USA Swimming 10K Open Water National Championships will be considered the winner of the tiebreaker and qualify for funding.

*Based on any adjustments to the 2023 World Aquatics Open Water competition calendar, the location for this event may change. Any changes will be outlined and communicated to athletes through SPORTS ORG’s method of communication and amended High Performance Support Funding Schedule.

January 1, 2024 - June 30, 2024

• The top 28 athletes of each gender will receive Direct Athlete Support based on the following rankings:
  • Athletes who are named to the 2023-2024 National Team and are ranked number 1 in their respective event(s) will receive Direct Athlete Support. Athletes who are named to the 2023-2024 National Team and are ranked number 2, 3 or 4 in the 100 and 200 free will receive Direct Athlete Support.
• If all athletes listed above have qualified for funding and less than 28 athletes per gender meet the above requirements, athletes who are on the 2023-2024 National Team will be ranked based on their fastest time in an Individual Olympic Event according to their percentage faster than the World Aquatics "A" Time Standard for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
  • Percentage faster than the "AQUA A' Time Standard" means the difference between a swimmer's National Team time to the "A" Time Standard for that same Event. The resulting time difference will be converted to a percentage to demonstrate how much faster or slower the swimmer’s finishing time in an Event is compared to the "A" Time Standard in that same Event. This percentage will be calculated by subtracting the swimmer’s finishing time at the Finals in an Event from the "A" Time Standard in that same Event, then dividing the difference by the "A" Time Standard in that Event. Calculations will be carried to the one-thousandth of a percent (i.e., x.xxx%).
    • For example, if the "A" Time Standard in the 100-meter Freestyle is 1 minute, and Swimmer #1’s finishing time in the 100-meter Freestyle at the Finals is :54 seconds, then Swimmer #1 has swum 6 seconds faster than the "A" Time Standard in the 100-meter Freestyle. Using the formula described above (60 seconds minus 54 seconds, divided by 60 seconds) Swimmer #1’s Percentage faster than the "A" Time Standard would be 10%.
    • If the "A" Time Standard in the 200-meter Freestyle is 2 minutes, and Swimmer #2’s finishing time in the 200-meter Freestyle at Finals is 1:54, then Swimmer #2 has swum 6 seconds faster than the "A" Time Standard in the 200-meter Freestyle. Using the formula described above (120 seconds minus 114 seconds, divided by 120 seconds) that swimmer’s Percentage faster than the "A" Time Standard would be 5%.
    • Swimmer #1’s Percentage faster than the "A" Time Standard (10%) would be considered higher than Swimmer #2’s Percentage faster than the "A" Time Standard (5%).
    • If a swimmer’s finishing time at the Finals in an Event is slower than the "A" Time Standard for that same Event, their percentages will be negative. Using the same example above, if Swimmer #1’s finishing time in the 100-meter Freestyle is 1:06, their percentage faster than the "A" standard would be -10% (60 seconds minus 66 seconds equals negative 6 seconds negative 6 seconds divided by 60 seconds equals -10%). If Swimmer #2’s finishing time in the 200-meter Freestyle is 2:06 their percentage faster than the "A" standard would be -5% (120 seconds minus 126 seconds equals negative 6 seconds; negative 6 seconds divided by 120 seconds equals -5%). In this case, Swimmer #2’s Percentage faster than the "A" Time Standard (-5%) is faster than Swimmer #1's Percentage faster than the "A" Time Standard (-10%).
• This process will continue until 28 men and 28 women have qualified for Direct Athlete Support.
  • In the event there is a tie for the 28th position, all athletes involved in the tie will receive support.

July 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024

• Members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team will receive funding.
  • Funding amounts will be based on Individual Olympic Event qualifiers and relay swimmers qualifiers.
• Athletes who previously received Direct Athlete Support, in the immediate previous term, will receive the same amount for the new term.
• The USA Swimming Athlete Partnership Agreement (APA) will be offered to Olympic Team athletes in August and amounts for July will be paid retroactively, should an athlete decide to sign the APA.

January 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024

• Up to 2 men and 2 women
• Athletes who qualify, are selected to compete, and do compete in the 10K event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
  • Athletes who qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games via the 2024 World Championships will be retroactively paid for January and February.

June 1, 2024 - October 30, 2024

• Up to 3 men and 3 women
• Athletes who qualify, are selected to compete, and do compete, in the 10K event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
• The best placing non-2024 Olympic team member finisher from the 2024 USA Swimming 10K Open Water National Championships, provided they have an U.S. Olympic Team Trials Cut in the 1500 LCM Freestyle as of November 30, 2022.

November 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024

• Up to 3 men and 3 women
• Athletes who qualify, are selected to compete, and do compete in the 10K event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
• Remaining funding positions will be filled by athletes who finish in the top 16 at the 2024 World Aquatics 10K World Cup (Date and Location TBD) until a maximum of 3 athletes per gender qualify for funding.
• In the event that this World Cup is held after November 1, athletes will be paid retroactively.