Canadian Olympic swimming trials: What's at stake?

For Canadian swimmers, it has come down to this: six days of intense pressure to qualify for the Rio Olympics this summer.

The Canadian Olympic and Para-swimming trials, which CBCSports.ca will live stream beginning Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, take place at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre — the same venue which hosted the 2015 Pan American and Parapan Am Games. CBC host Scott Russell, play-by-play man Steve Armitage and analyst Byron MacDonald will cover all the action, with Stephanie Dixon providing analysis for the Paralympic trials.

The event is always an emotionally charged competition as swimmers will endure heartbreak and lingering doubts if they don't qualify for Rio this week.

The entire qualification system is somewhat complicated, so we're offering a simplified explanation of the process.

Individual nomination

• All swimmers finishing first or second in each event and who meet the Olympic qualifying time (all times provided below) will clinch an Olympic berth.

Relay nomination

• The top four swimmers of the 100- and 200-metre freestyle events, and who meet the Olympic qualifying time, will clinch an Olympic berth.
• The first-place finishers in the 100 medley events will secure a berth provided they meet the Olympic qualifying time.

Olympic qualifying time

• 50 freestyle: Male — 22.27; Female — 25.28
• 100 freestyle: Male — 48.99; Female — 54.43
• 200 freestyle: Male — 1:47.97; Female — 1:58.96
• 400 freestyle: Male — 3:50.44; Female — 4:09.08
• 1,500/800 freestyle: Male — 15:14.77; Female — 8:33.97
• 100 backstroke: Male — 54.36; Female — 1:00.25
• 200 backstroke: Male — 1:58.22; Female — 2:10.60
• 100 breaststroke: Male — 1:00.57; Female — 1:07.85
• 200 breaststroke: Male — 2:11.66; Female — 2:26.94
• 100 butterfly: Male — 52.36; Female — 58.74
• ​200 butterfly: Male — 1:56.97; Female — 2:09.33
• 200 individual medley: Male — 2:00.28; Female — 2:14.26
• 400 individual medley: Male — 4:16.71; Female — 4:43.46
• 4x100 freestyle: Male - 3:15.47; Female - 3:38.35
• 4x200 freestyle: Male - 7:10.92; Female - 7:55.08
• 4x100 medley: Male - 3:34.02; 4:00.43

Swimming trials on CBCSports.ca

(Finals begin daily at 7 p.m. ET)

Tuesday

• 400 IM (men); 400 freestyle (women); 100 breaststroke (men) 100 butterfly (women); 200 freestyle (men); Para-50 freestyle; Para-200 freestyle; Para-400 freestyle.

Wednesday

• 200 butterfly (men); 100 backstroke (women); 100 backstroke (men); 400 IM (women); Para-100 breaststroke; Para-50 breaststroke.

Thursday

• 200 freestyle (women); 400 freestyle (men); 100 breaststroke (women); 200 breaststroke (men); Para-200 IM; Para-150 IM.

Friday

• 200 butterfly (women); 100 freestyle (men); 200 IM (women); Para-100 butterfly; Para-50 butterfly.

Saturday

• 100 butterfly (men); 100 freestyle (women); 200 backstroke (men); 200 breaststroke (women); 800 freestyle (women); Para-100 backstroke; Para-50 backstroke.

Sunday

• 50 freestyle (women); 50 freestyle (men); 200 backstroke (women); 200 IM (men); 1,500 4x100 medley (men); 4x200 freestyle (men); Para-100 freestyle.