There has been a bit of controversy over scheduling the swimming finals in the morning so they can be shown during prime time television in the United States. Michael Phelps doesn’t have a problem with it.

“I think it’s stupid that people were complaining about it,” said Phelps. “Everyone is in the same boat. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you can’t get up at the Olympic Games and swim fast, don’t go.”

“I think it’s much ado about nothing,” said Natalie Coughlin, who won two gold medals, two silvers and a bronze at the 2004 Olympics. “Swimming is swimming. It’s really not as big of a deal as people are making it. Whether it’s morning or night, you’re going to have to swim hard. If you’re going to blame a slow swim on a time of day, you probably weren’t going to do that well anyway.”