The swimming competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, United States. There were 762 competitors from 117 countries. This was the last Olympics where swimming B-finals were held.
At the time of the games, the facility had a temporary 50 m warm-up pool located behind the locker rooms and entry concourse (on the ground); as well as a temporary roof, and open walls (there were wall-like structures/curtains at the diving well and turning end of the pool). The open walls allowed for temporary seating to be in place during the games. A wall and new roof have since been placed on the facility.
A total of 4 world records and 13 Olympic records were set during the competition
The women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay made its debut at these Games.
Medal table
Medal summary
Men's events
{|
|-
| 50 m freestyle <br>
| || 22.13
| || 22.26
| || 22.29 SA
|-
| 100 m freestyle <br>
| || 48.74
| || 48.81
| || 49.02
|-
| 200 m freestyle <br>
| || 1:47.63 NR
| || 1:48.08 SA
| || 1:48.25
|-
| 400 m freestyle <br>
| || 3:47.97 NR
| || 3:49.00
| || 3:49.39
|-
| 1500 m freestyle <br>
| || 14:56.40
| || 15:02.43
| || 15:02.48 NR
|-
| 100 m backstroke <br>
| || 54.10
| || 54.98
| || 55.02
|-
| 200 m backstroke <br>
| || 1:58.54
| || 1:58.99
| || 1:59.18
|-
| 100 m breaststroke <br>
| || 1:00.65
| || 1:00.77 AM
| || 1:01.33 NR
|-
| 200 m breaststroke <br>
| || 2:12.57
| || 2:13.03
| || 2:13.17
|-
| 100 m butterfly <br>
| || 52.27
| || 52.53 OC
| || 53.13
|-
| 200 m butterfly <br>
| || 1:56.51
| || 1:57.44
| || 1:57.48
|-
| 200 m medley <br>
| || 1:59.91
| || 2:00.13
| || 2:01.13 NR
|-
| 400 m medley <br>
| || 4:14.90
| || 4:15.25
| || 4:16.28 NR
|-valign="top"
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay <br>
|valign=top| <br> Jon Olsen<br> Josh Davis<br> Brad Schumacher<br> Gary Hall, Jr.<br>David Fox*<br/>Scott Tucker* || 3:15.41
|valign=top| <br> Roman Yegorov<br> Aleksandr Popov<br> Vladimir Predkin<br> Vladimir Pyshnenko<br>Denis Pimankov* || 3:17.06 ER
|valign=top| <br> Christian Tröger<br> Bengt Zikarsky<br> Björn Zikarsky<br> Mark Pinger<br>Alexander Lüderitz* || 3:17.20
|-valign="top"
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay <br>
|valign=top| <br> Josh Davis<br> Joe Hudepohl<br> Brad Schumacher<br> Ryan Berube<br>Jon Olsen* || 7:14.84
|valign=top| <br> Christer Wallin<br> Anders Holmertz<br> Lars Frölander<br> Anders Lyrbring || 7:17.56
|valign=top| <br> Aimo Heilmann<br> Christian Keller<br> Christian Tröger<br> Steffen Zesner<br>Konstantin Dubrovin*<br/>Oliver Lampe* || 7:17.71
|-valign="top"
| 4 × 100 m medley relay <br>
|valign=top| <br> Jeff Rouse<br> Jeremy Linn<br> Mark Henderson<br> Gary Hall, Jr.<br>Josh Davis*<br/>Kurt Grote*<br/>John Hargis*<br/>Tripp Schwenk* || 3:34.84
|valign=top| <br> Vladimir Selkov<br> Stanislav Lopukhov<br> Denis Pankratov<br> Aleksandr Popov<br>Roman Ivanovsky*<br/>Vladislav Kulikov*<br/>Roman Yegorov* || 3:37.55 ER
|valign=top| <br> Steven Dewick<br> Phil Rogers<br> Scott Miller<br> Michael Klim<br>Toby Haenen* || 3:39.56 OC
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Women's events
{|
|-
| 50 m freestyle <br>
| || 24.87 AM
| || 24.90
| || 25.14
|-
| 100 m freestyle <br>
| || 54.50
| || 54.88
| || 54.93
|-
| 200 m freestyle <br>
| || 1:58.16
| || 1:58.57
| || 1:59.56
|-
| 400 m freestyle <br>
| || 4:07.25 NR
| || 4:08.30
| || 4:08.70 NR
|-
| 800 m freestyle <br>
| || 8:27.89
| || 8:29.91
| || 8:30.84 NR
|-
| 100 m backstroke <br>
| || 1:01.19
| || 1:01.47
| || 1:02.12 AF
|-
| 200 m backstroke <br>
| || 2:07.83
| || 2:11.98
| || 2:12.06
|-
| 100 m breaststroke <br>
| || 1:07.73
| || 1:08.09 AM
| || 1:09.18
|-
| 200 m breaststroke <br>
| || 2:25.41
| || 2:25.75
| || 2:26.57
|-
| 100 m butterfly <br>
| || 59.13
| || 59.14
| || 59.23
|-
| 200 m butterfly <br>
| || 2:07.76
| || 2:09.82
| || 2:09.91 NR
|-
| 200 m individual medley <br>
| || 2:13.93 NR
| || 2:14.35 NR
| || 2:14.74
|-
| 400 m individual medley <br>
| || 4:39.18 NR
| || 4:42.03
| || 4:42.53
|-valign="top"
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay <br>
|valign=top| <br> Angel Martino<br> Amy Van Dyken<br> Catherine Fox<br> Jenny Thompson<br>Lisa Jacob*<br>Melanie Valerio* || 3:39.29
|valign=top| <br> Le Jingyi<br> Chao Na<br> Nian Yun<br> Shan Ying || 3:40.48
|valign=top| <br> Sandra Völker<br> Simone Osygus<br> Antje Buschschulte<br> Franziska van Almsick<br>Meike Freitag* || 3:41.48
|-valign="top"
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay <br>
|valign=top| <br> Trina Jackson<br> Cristina Teuscher<br> Sheila Taormina<br> Jenny Thompson<br>Lisa Jacob*<br>Annette Salmeen*<br>Ashley Whitney* || 7:59.87 , AM
|valign=top| <br> Franziska van Almsick<br> Kerstin Kielgass<br> Anke Scholz<br> Dagmar Hase<br>Meike Freitag*<br>Simone Osygus* || 8:01.55
|valign=top| <br> Julia Greville<br> Nicole Stevenson<br> Emma Johnson<br> Susie O'Neill<br>Lise Mackie* || 8:05.47
|-valign="top"
| 4 × 100 m medley relay <br>
|valign=top| <br> Beth Botsford<br> Amanda Beard<br> Angel Martino<br> Amy Van Dyken<br>Catherine Fox*<br>Whitney Hedgepeth*<br>Kristine Quance*<br>Jenny Thompson* || 4:02.88
|valign=top| <br> Nicole Stevenson<br> Samantha Riley<br> Susie O'Neill<br> Sarah Ryan<br>Helen Denman*<br>Angela Kennedy* || 4:05.08
|valign=top| <br> Chen Yan<br> Han Xue<br> Cai Huijue<br> Shan Ying || 4:07.34
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Olympic and world records broken
Note: Any world record is also an Olympic record
Men
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Event !! Date !! Round !! Name !! Nationality !! Time !! Record
|-
|100 m Breaststroke|| 20 July || Heat 6 || align="left" | Frédérik Deburghgraeve || align="left" | || 1:00.60 ||
|-
|100 m Butterfly|| 24 July || Heat 7 || align="left" | Scott Miller || align="left" | || 52.89 ||
|-
|100 m Butterfly|| 24 July || Final A || align="left" | Denis Pankratov || align="left" | || 52.27 ||
|-
|200 m Individual Medley|| 25 July || Final A || align="left" | Attila Czene || align="left" | || 1:59.91 ||
|-
| Freestyle Relay|| 23 July || Final ||align=left|Jon Olsen (49.94)<br>Josh Davis (49.00)<br>Brad Schumacher (49.02)<br>Gary Hall, Jr. (47.45)|| align=left | || 3:15.41 ||
|-
| Medley Relay|| 26 July || Final ||align=left|Jeff Rouse (53.95)<br>Jeremy Linn (1:00.32)<br>Mark Henderson (52.39)<br>Gary Hall, Jr. (48.18)|| align=left | || 3:34.84 ||
|}
Women
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Event !! Date !! Round !! Name !! Nationality !! Time !! Record
|-
|100 m Freestyle|| 20 July || Final A || align="left" | Le Jingyi || align="left" | || 54.50 ||
|-
|100 m Breaststroke|| 21 July || Heat 6 || align="left" | Penny Heyns || align="left" | || 1:07.02 ||
|-
|200 m Breaststroke|| 23 July || Heat 4 || align="left" | Penny Heyns || align="left" | || 2:26.63 ||
|-
|200 m Breaststroke|| 23 July || Final A || align="left" | Penny Heyns || align="left" | || 2:25.41 ||
|-
| Freestyle Relay|| 22 July || Final ||align=left|Angel Martino (55.34)<br>Amy Van Dyken (53.91)<br>Catherine Fox (55.93)<br>Jenny Thompson (54.11)|| align=left | || 3:39.29 ||
|-
| Freestyle Relay|| 25 July || Heat 2 ||align=left|Lisa Jacob (2:01.31)<br>Ashley Whitney (2:01.77)<br>Sheila Taormina (2:00.57)<br>Annette Salmeen (2:01.34)|| align=left | || 8:04.99 ||
|-
| Freestyle Relay|| 25 July || Final ||align=left|Trina Jackson (1:59.71)<br>Cristina Teuscher (1:58.86)<br>Sheila Taormina (2:01.29)<br>Jenny Thompson (1:56.83)|| align=left | || 7:59.87 ||
|}
Participating nations
762 swimmers from 117 nations competed.