December 2009

From 1st January 2010 all competitions in England, Scotland and Wales will be applying the FINA rules below in relation to Swimsuits for swimming (excluding Masters and Open Water) competitions. 

Current FINA rule GR 5 SWIMWEAR states:

GR 5.1 The swimwear (swimsuit, cap and goggles) of all competitors shall be in good moral taste and suitable for the individual sports disciplines and not to carry any symbol which may be considered offensive.

GR 5.2 All swimsuits shall be non transparent.

GR 5.3 The referee of a competition has the authority to exclude any competitor whose swimsuit or body symbols do not comply with this Rule.

BL 8.2 In swimming competitions the competitor must wear only one swimsuit in one or two pieces. No additional items, like arm bands or leg bands shall be regarded as parts of a swimsuit

BL 8.3 From January 1, 2010 swimwear for men shall not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below knee. All swimsuits shall be made from textile materials.

January 2010

CHANGE TO REGULATION 411 REGARDING COSTUMES

From 1st January 2010 the ASA rules on swimwear/costumes have changed. The current wording in Regulation 411 (“Costumes”) will no longer apply and has been replaced by:     

411.1  The swimwear (swimsuit, cap and goggles) of competitors in all competitions shall be in accordance with the  FINA General Rules and Bylaws on swimwear, in force on the date of the competition.

The above rule applies to swimming, open water swimming and masters swimming competitions.

February 2010

Permitted Swimwear: Announcement for Officials

To clarify the current FINA rules concerning permitted swimwear for the disciplines of swimming, open water swimming and masters swimming in British Swimming competitions:

In addition to complying with FINA General Rule 5, the swimwear in these competitions must comply with By-Laws 8.2 and 8.3 concerning the style and material used. This does not prevent the use of a zip (or other fastening) as this is not mentioned in these provisions. British Records may be achieved. However, if a World or European Record is to be claimed then the swimwear must meet the requirements of the issuing authority. This is separate from the General Rules and By-Laws and is subject to change at any time. A list of approved swimsuits can be found on the FINA website.

March 2010

Further clarification on FINA by-laws on swimwear:

BL 8 SWIMWEAR 

BL 8.1 All FINA approved swimwear to be used at the Olympic Games and FINA World Championships must be approved by FINA at least twelve (12) months prior to the start of the respective competition. In addition, it must be available for all competitors by 1st January of the year of the Olympic Games or FINA World Championships.

BL 8.2 In swimming competitions the competitor must wear only one swimsuit in one or two pieces. No additional items, like arm bands or leg bands shall be regarded as parts of a swimsuit. 

BL 8.3 From January 1, 2010 swimwear for men shall not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below knee. All swimsuits shall be made from textile materials. 

BL 8.4 From 1 June 2010, Open Water swimwear for both men and women shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below the ankle. All Open Water swimsuits shall comply with the FINA Criteria for Materials and Approval Procedures.

BL 8.5 From 15 January 2010, in Masters Pool Swimming competitions the rules BL 8.1, BL 8.2 and BL 8.3 apply. From 1 June 2010, the rule BL 8.4 applies also for the Masters Open Water competitions.

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Rule Interpretation

(From time to time questions are posed to British Swimming/ASA following specific incidents at galas and competitions. The answers given below have been provided by a panel of experts.)


Individual Medley

Question 1: In a 200m IM race in a 25m pool what is the correct report for each of these instances?

Scenario 1: The swimmer completes 4x100m IM followed by another 4x100m IM!
Scenario 2: The swimmer completes the butterfly and backstroke sections with no problems but then swims 25m Breaststroke followed by 25m freestyle and stops (after 6 lengths).

Answer: In both instances the swimmer did not complete the event in accordance with SW9.1 and should be disqualified.

SW 9.1 In individual medley events, the swimmer covers the four swimming strokes in the following order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle. Each of the strokes must cover one quarter (1/4) of the distance.

Could Scenario 2 have been - Did Not Finish? No, the first infringement came as soon as the swimmer did not swim breaststroke on the 6th length.

Breaststroke

Question 1: In a breaststroke event, a swimmer was seen to stand on the bottom and then continue swimming.  The swimmer was disqualified under rule 7.4 because "Leg movements were not on the same horizontal plane".  Was it correct to disqualify the swimmer? Was the correct rule applied? 

Answer: The swimmer should have been disqualified. Rule SW7.4 "All movements of the legs shall be simultaneous and on the same horizontal plane without alternating movement."  An infringement of this rule is a valid reason however, more appropriately an infringement of SW 7.2 could be considered. "From the beginning of the first arm stroke after the start and after each turn, the body shall be on the breast." To stand up the swimmer must have left a position on the breast - even if standing and leaning forward. 

Question 2: A swimmer, swimming breaststroke during a race, removed her goggles using one hand as they had moved after the dive.  She was disqualified. Was this correct and why?

Answer: Yes it was correct for the Referee to disqualify the swimmer for a non-simultaneous arm movement, an infringement of SW7.2  All movements of the arms shall be simultaneous and on the same horizontal plane without alternating movement. 

Question 3: A swimmer, swimming breaststroke during a race removed her goggles using two hands in a simultaneous movement whilst pushing the hands forwards during the second arm stroke. She was not disqualified. Was this correct?

Answer: Yes, no infringement of the rules had taken place

Question 4: A swimmer, swimming breaststroke during a race was observed with goggles across the cheeks following the start as they had moved after the dive. Further down the first length the Referee observed that the goggles had been removed.  She was not disqualified. Was this correct?

Answer: The stroke judge made no report to the Referee as he had not observed the swimmer during the process of the goggle removal.  It was not known how the goggles were removed. There could be no disqualification because none of the officials had actually observed any infringement of the rules.

Question 5 : When can the butterfly kick be performed after the start and turn in breaststroke?

Answer: FINA Rule SW7.1 has been re-worded to form a more logical order. In conjunction with the explanation below it is important to remember the following wording from SW7.2. "From the start and throughout the race the stroke cycle must be one arm stroke and one leg kick in that order."  Any butterfly kick after the start or each turn does not form part of that stroke cycle. With that in mind SW7.1 should be read as below.

SW 7.1: After the start and after each turn, the swimmer may take one arm stroke completely back to the legs during which the swimmer may be submerged. A single butterfly kick is permitted during the first arm stroke, followed by a breaststroke kick.

1. A swimmer does not have to perform a butterfly kick.
2. There can only be one butterfly kick.
3. The butterfly kick must take place during the first arm stroke.
4. The butterfly kick if implemented must be performed before and followed by a breaststroke kick

The swimmer may perform a butterfly kick at any time from the point that their hands move from the streamline position after the start or turn outwards and or backwards all the way to the point at which the hands are "completely back to the legs" (SW7.1.).  The kick must be performed before the arms become stationary. There is no requirement within the rules for the arms to move continuously.  

Update 21/07/2011: The following sentence relating to the butterfly kick at the start/turn has been deleted "This may include the occasion when the arms have reached the legs and are stationary" and replaced by "The kick must be performed before the arms become stationary."
 
Question 6: A swimmer competing in a 50m Breaststroke race in a 25m pool touches the wall with both hands simultaneously at the end of the first length, performs a tumble turn, leaves the wall with the body on the breast and completes the second length without further incident. Should the swimmer be disqualified?

Answer:  No - the swimmer may turn in any manner they desire providing the touch at the completion of the first length is legal and the swimmer leaves the wall to commence the second length in a legal position.

(A similar scenario could also cover the Butterfly stroke.)

Backstroke

Question 1: At the start of a backstroke race following the command "Take your marks" all swimmers take up their positions. In so doing the swimmer in lane 2 lifts clear of the water. The starter gives the starting signal and the race takes place. At the conclusion of the race it is announced that the swimmer in lane 2 has been disqualified. The reason given:- the swimmer was not in the water. Should the swimmer have been disqualified?

Answer: This is a situation whereby the rules have been interpreted too literally. Fina Rules provide for two starts:
1. Forward from the starting platform:
SW4.1: The start in Freestyle, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Individual Medley races shall be with a dive.

2. Backward from the water:
SW4.2 The start in Backstroke and Medley Relay races shall be from the water.
SW 6.1 Prior to the starting signal, the swimmers shall line up in the water facing the starting end, with both hands holding the starting grips. Standing in or on the gutter or bending the toes over the lip of the gutter is prohibited.

The backstroke rule above describes the starting position of the swimmer. There is no requirement for the swimmer to have some part of the body in the water when the starting signal is given. 

The swimmer should not have been disqualified.

Question 2 (added 27/12/2010):  A swimmer competing in the 200m Backstroke event in a 25m pool incorrectly counted his lengths and on nearing completion of the 8th length turned off his back, completed a backstroke turn, pushed off the wall upon his back before realising his mistake. No report was made to the Referee as the official considered the swimmer had actually touched the wall with his feet whilst on the back.  Was this correct?

Answer: No. A report should have been made.

It is correct that a swimmer must finish whilst upon the back as per SW 6.5 however the swimmer had actually left the position upon his back at the end of the 8th length prior to the touch at the finish and therefore a report should have been made with reference to SW 6.2 which states "At the signal for starting and after turning the swimmer shall push off and swim upon his back throughout the race except when executing a turn as set forth in SW 6.4. The normal position on the back can include a roll movement of the body up to, but not including 90 degrees from horizontal. The position of the head is not relevant."

SW 6.5 Upon the finish of the race the swimmer must touch the wall while on the back in his/her respective lane.

Butterfly

Question 1: Following the start of the girls 9years 25m butterfly one swimmer dived in too deeply and was seen to push herself off the bottom of the pool with her hands. The stroke judge believed in so doing she may have gained some additional forward propulsion.  How should the rules be correctly applied?

Answer: What FINA rule has been broken here?  None!

There is no ruling that references the hands touching the bottom of the pool.  The swimmer has not made any infringement of the rules.  Perhaps it would be prudent to advise her Coach that further training should be given in relation to the dive start in order to minimise the risk of injury in the future.

Question 2 (added 27/12/2010): You are an Official at a Swimming Competition and a coach advises you that his swimmer needs to record a time for 100m Butterfly and proposes to swim the first 100m of the 200m Freestyle doing Butterfly. Can the swimmer do this?

Answer: Yes, the swimmer may choose to do this, however they must be advised that any time recorded either at any intermediate distance or finish can only be recorded as a Freestyle time.

SW5.1  “Freestyle means that in an event so designated the swimmer may swim any style…..”

The race is a Freestyle race and therefore all times recorded are Freestyle times.

Freestyle

Question 1 (added 27/12/2010): What constitutes a missed turn in freestyle. Can a swimmer return to the wall following a missed turn?

Answer: SW5.2 states: Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall on completion of each length and at the finish.
 
“Upon completion of each length the swimmer must touch the wall.  The swimmer may turn in any manner desired as long as contact is made with the wall at the end of each length of the race. If the swimmer misses the wall whilst turning it is permissible for that swimmer to go back and touch the wall before continuing the race.
If the swimmer misses the wall and fails to return for the touch it is a violation.”

It must be remembered that in relay events, the team of a swimmer whose feet lose touch with the starting platform before the preceding team-mate touches the wall shall be disqualified. (SW10.11) i.e. there is no opportunity to return to the wall/starting platform to re-start.

Single Gender Events

Question:  Our club would like to organise an Open Meet that includes 800m and 1500m Freestyle events but want to swim males and females together. Can we do this?

Answer: FINA has introduced a new rule SW10.1. "All individual races must be held as separate gender events." However, it is still possible to run these events as mixed providing they are age group events. FINA provides the opportunity for Federations to adopt their own Age Group rules (SWAG 1) i.e. the competition conditions must state clearly that these are Age Group events and will be swum as mixed male and female.

Certificate of Swimming Disability and Masters Swimmers (added 27/12/2010)

As you are aware British Swimming issues a Certificate of Swimming Disability to athletes who have impairments that prevent them from competing against able bodied competitors. The purpose of the certificate is to ensure that disabled competitors do not get disqualified for performing a stroke incorrectly due to their disability and who:
Certification is only given to swimmers with a permanent disability and not swimmers suffering from short term incapacity.

The following information with reference to Record applications should be noted by all Referees officiating at Masters Competitions.

A number of Masters Swimmers have a Certificate of Swimming Disability. However such certification is not recognised by LEN or FINA therefore any swimmer who breaks a European or World Record using the benefit of an exemption detailed on the certificate may not submit a record application.  Swimmers breaking a British record using the benefit of an exemption detailed on the certificate may submit their application to Great Britain.  Masters swimmers with a valid Certificate of Swimming Disability who break a European or World record without using the benefit of an exemption detailed on the certificate will continue to have their application processed and forwarded to LEN/FINA as appropriate.

Reports and Reporting

Question 1 (added 27/12/2010): While a race is taking place a swimmer in the next heat walks to the side of the pool, splashes himself and wets his goggles. Is this considered as entering the pool?  What constitutes an infringement of this rule?

Answer: SW 10.9 refers. Any swimmer not entered in a race, who enters the water in which an event is being conducted before all swimmers therein have completed the race, shall be disqualified from his next scheduled race in the meet.

We have all experienced swimmers splashing themselves - and others around them -  prior to a race. It is fairly common practice for swimmers to wet goggles and themselves.  Where electronic timing is installed it is a good idea to prevent swimmers from leaning over and either touching another swimmer or accidently interfering with the timing equipment during a race. Moving round to the side or using an empty lane should pose no problem. This is not considered to be an infringement of SW10.9.

It should be noted that some International competitions do provide swimmers with buckets of water near the starting blocks specifically for swimmers to use to facilitate this "wetting".

What does constitute an infringement? Any swimmer who actually gets into the pool to wet him/herself whilst a race is in progress should be disqualified from their next race.

Relays

Question 1 (added 17/2/2011):  The inspector of turns at the starting end was adjudicating the takeovers and monitored the approach of the incoming swimmer with the outgoing swimmer waiting at the rear of the block. As the incoming swimmer approached the wall the outgoing swimmer moved forward skipping to the front edge during which both feet momentarily left the block with some forward momentum, he landed back on the block before the incoming swimmer touched the wall.  The outgoing swimmer continued to extend into his dive, with his feet in contact with the block, when the incoming swimmer touched.

The inspector of turns made no report as he considered the feet were in contact with the block when the touch was made. 

Was this decision correct or should a report have been made as an infringement of SW10.11?

Answer: SW 10.11 states "In relay events, the team of a swimmer whose feet lose touch with the starting platform before the preceding team-mate touches the wall shall be disqualified". Therefore no infringement had taken place as the feet of the outgoing swimmer were in contact with the starting platform at the time the incoming swimmer touched the end wall to complete his leg. 

Time trials (added 12/3/2011)

Question 1: My son is the only one wanting to swim 100m Breaststroke and does not want to swim on his own. A friend wants a 100m Butterfly time so can they swim together?
Answer: No. Each event is a separate event.  The Breaststroke and the Butterfly event must be swum separately even if there is only one entrant in each.

Question 2: My daughter is the only girl wanting a 50m Freestyle time and does not want to swim on her own can she swim in an empty lane with the boys who want a 50 m freestyle time?
Answer: No. SW10.1 All individual races must be held as separate gender events.

Question 3: My daughter is the only swimmer wanting a time trial for 50m Butterfly and does not want to swim on her own. Can a friend accompany her swimming freestyle- it does not matter that she can be disqualified for swimming an incorrect stroke?
No: SW10.16. No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any devised used or plan adopted which has that effect.



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