Olympics

American swimmers who went for the gold at Barcelona might be swimming for dollars in the 1996 Olympics.

In an effort to reward the best swimmers and to encourage faster times, the U.S. swimming federation’s board of directors unanimously approved awarding prize money to medalists in major international competitions.

The plan must be approved by the federation’s House of Delegates, which meets Saturday in Bloomington, Minn.

Under the proposal, medal winners in the 1994 world championships at Rome would split $600,000 in prize money, and medalists in the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta would split $800,000.