Paris Olympics 2024 Indian Swimming Squad: Complete list of swimmers in the Indian contingent
The Indian swimming team at the Paris Olympics 2024 will be represented by Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu.
The swimming competitions at the Paris 2024 Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 27 to August 4 at the Paris La Défense Arena.
While Nataraj will compete in the men’s 100 backstroke event in Paris, Dhinidhi will participate in the women's 200m freestyle competition.
Srihari Nataraj will represent India in the men’s 100m backstroke event. This marks his second Olympic appearance, following his debut at Tokyo 2020, where he finished 27th among 40 swimmers.
Meanwhile, Dhinidhi Desinghu, at just 14 years old, will be India's youngest athlete at the Paris Olympics 2024 and the second-youngest in India's Olympic history, after Arati Saha. She will compete in the women’s 200m freestyle event, marking her debut at the Olympics.
How did Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu make it into the Indian swimming squad for the Paris Olympics 2024?
Nataraj's inclusion in the Indian swimming squad for Paris 2024 comes via the Universality Quota. Despite not achieving the OQT or Olympic Consideration Time (OCT) during the qualification window, his performance at the World Aquatics Championships 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan, earned him a spot. He topped the World Aquatics points table with 849 points, narrowly edging out Aryan Nehra for the universality spot.
Desinghu’s inclusion in the Indian swimming team also comes through the Universality Quota. Her performance at the 2024 World Championships held in Doha, Qatar, helped her lead the women’s table with 749 points and secure her place in the squad.
The Universality Quota allows National Olympic Committees (NOCs) without any qualified athlete or relay team to enter a maximum of two athletes – one woman and one man – in one event each.
Since no Indian swimmer achieved the OQT or OCT in any event within the qualification window from March 1, 2023, to June 23, 2024, the Swimming Federation of India requested Universality quota places. Both Nataraj and Desinghu met the criteria by competing in the World Championships and earning top points in their respective categories.