**It doesn’t seem that any of the main swimming events will be getting cut (FINA were lobbying for 3 MORE events). Does anyone know why swimming seems to get away with this and cycling doesn’t? **
Competitive swimming is a very popular sport from a participation standpoint. USA Swimming currently has over 270,000 registered competitors. Contrast that with USA Cycling which has about 35,000 liscence holders. And swimming at the Olympics draws big TV audiences, particularly in the US. In fact, swimming is one of the top events along with basketball and track as far as US TV ratings for Olympic coverage.
Since there is no “pro” swimming, the best athletes show up at the Olympics and FINA pushes very hard to make sure swimmers are showcased. They have been after this open water thing for decades. Amateur cycling organizations don’t have anywhere near the power FINA does in the Olympic arena.