championship. Azerbaijan, Burundi, Guyana, Iraq, Latvia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, and Serbia and Montenegro each made their debut in the event. The United States made its 23rd appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games. Competition format This freestyle swimming competition consisted of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advanced to the semifinals. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advanced to the final. Swim-offs were used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round. Records Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows. Schedule All times are Greece Standard Time (UTC+2) Results Heats Semifinals Final References External links Official Olympic Report M Men's events at the 2004 Summer Olympics