Races are held in four swimming strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly over varying distances and in either individual or relay race events. Medley events combine all four strokes, again either as an individual format (swum in order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle) and as a team relay (swim in order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle). Competitors are allocated a classification based on their ability in the water, with records available for each event in each classification.[1]
1-10: Physical disability: Classes S1, SB1, SM1 for athletes who are least physically able; S10, SB9, SM10 for those with greatest ability in the water
11-13: Visual impairment: Class S11 for totally blind athletes, to class S13 for athletes who have some vision, but are considered legally blind
14: Intellectual disability
Not all events are offered at each Paralympic Games. The decision is made by the IPC based on factors including there being a minimum of 6 athletes from a minimum of 4 National Paralympic Committees to make a race viable. In addition, an event must have been also held at the previous Games, or at the IPC Swimming World Championships held between the Games. In total there is an aim to provide a minimum of 7 individual events and 2 relays events for all classes, with an overall total of 140 events being contested at each Games.[2] The currently used classification system has been in use since the 2000 Sydney Games.
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC;WR – World record; Records not set in finals: h – heat;r – relay 1st leg;rh – relay heat 1st leg;† – en route to final mark
^"Men's 50m Freestyle S13 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^"Men's 200m Freestyle S4 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 30 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Men's 400m Freestyle S7 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Men's 400m Freestyle S9 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
^"50m Backstroke S4 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 3 September 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"50m Breaststroke SB3 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"100m Breaststroke SB4 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"100m Breaststroke SB5 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 28 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Men's 100m Butterfly S9 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 2 September 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Men's 100m Butterfly S13 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
^"Men's 150m IM SM3 Results"(PDF). Rio 2016 official website. 16 September 2016. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
^"Men's 150m IM SM4 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 28 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Men's 200m IM SM7 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 27 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Men's 200m IM SM8 Results"(PDF). Rio 2016 official website. 17 September 2016. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
^"Women's 100m Freestyle S5 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
^"Women's 100m Freestyle S5 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Women's 100m Freestyle S7 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
^"Women's 100m Freestyle S10 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 28 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Women's 400m Freestyle S6 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 2 September 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Women's 400m Freestyle S10 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 1 September 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Women's 400m Freestyle S11 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Women's 50m Backstroke S4 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 3 September 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
^"Women's 100m Breaststroke SB14 Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
^"Women's 50m Butterfly S4/5 Final Results"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 27 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
^"Women's 100m Butterfly S13 Final Result"(PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.