🏛️Official — World Aquatics
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Don't deliberately grab, foul, or target a competitor's gear
Physical contact is inevitable and legal in open water competition, but intentionally grabbing a rival's limbs, yanking goggles, or clutching a suit to impede them is considered a serious violation of competitive integrity — even when officials miss it or assess only a minor penalty.
Signal officials if a competitor appears to be in medical distress
Deeply rooted in swimming's safety culture: if you observe a fellow competitor showing signs of genuine distress — disorientation, non-movement, erratic behavior — you are expected to raise your arm and alert the nearest patrol boat or kayak, even at personal competitive cost.
Don't use the finish wall or timing pad to block a rival's touch
Deliberately angling your body or outstretching an arm to physically prevent a competitor from reaching the timing pad at the finish is considered one of the sport's clearest ethical violations, regardless of whether a penalty is assessed.
The event runs over three rounds: Round One (1500 m), Round Two (1000 m, swum as one or two semi-final heats), and Round Three (500 m, a single final), each conducted under the same start, race, and finish rules as the standard race (Articles 7.2.1, 7.2.3, 7.3.1, 7.4.1, 7.5.1 of Part Three).; The...
— Article 7.6.1
Why people argue about this
People often assume that since it's called a 'knockout' sprint, each round must be a one-on-one elimination match, which leads to misunderstandings about how the rounds actually work in terms of heats and finals structure outlined by the rule.
An Athlete must follow the course, round every turn buoy in the correct order and direction, not exceed the course boundaries, and complete the full course; failure to do so may result in disqualification from the event (Articles 4.1.2, 4.1.2.1 of Part Three).; An Athlete must not receive support...
Why people argue about this
People often assume that drafting is only allowed for reducing speed, not distance. But in reality, the rule specifically allows drafting behind another swimmer to reduce drag, which can be used strategically over a race course rather than just during the initial start or turn.
An Athlete finishes by touching the finish plate (or crossing the finish line where no plate is used); an Athlete who does not touch the plate is disqualified (Articles 5.3–5.4 of Part Three).; Any violation within the limits of the finish funnel may result in disqualification, and where a Video ...
Why people argue about this
People often assume that touching the gantry pad is optional for finishing a race, which leads to misunderstandings since the official rule clearly states swimmers must touch it to record their time accurately in open water swimming events. Confusion arises because they might not realize the importance of this precise detail in timing and scoring.
The first Athlete of each team starts together in accordance with the standard start procedure, and each team member must complete their 1.5 km leg consecutively before the next teammate enters the water (Articles 6.1.3–6.1.6 of Part Three).; Where a relay changeover platform is used, the incomin...
Why people argue about this
People often assume that the changeover platform is only for rest purposes and not a mandatory part of the relay process, leading to misunderstandings about when athletes can enter the water after their teammate exits. Actually, this rule mandates that each athlete must complete their leg consecutively before another team member can enter the water, regardless of whether a platform is used or not.
Swimwear: at a water temperature of 18.0°C or above, an Athlete must wear one swimsuit in one or two pieces (not a wetsuit) that has been approved under Article 6 of Part One (Article 10.1 of Part Three).; Wetsuit: at a water temperature below 18.0°C, an Athlete must wear a wetsuit, with only one...
— Article 6, Article 10.1, Article 10.2, Article 10.3, Article 10.7, Article 7.8, Article 12.3.1, Article 10.8, Article 10, Article 4.4, Article 4.4.2
Why people argue about this
People often assume that since textile-only swimsuits are mandatory in open water swimming due to health and environmental concerns, it must mean swimmers can't use fins or electronic aids at all. But actually, these restrictions apply only to equipment directly worn on the body, not to accessories like fins or electronic timing devices used during races.
Course: the racecourse is laid out with a start/finish area, one or more turn buoys, and guidance buoys marking the swim line, as shown in the course diagram at Appendix 1 of Part Three. The course must be in water subject to only minor currents or tide and may be salt or fresh water (Article 13....
— Article 13.1.2.1, Article 12.1.4.1, Article 12.1.5.1, Article 14.3.6, Article 12.1.3.3, Article 12.2.2, Article 13.1.4.1
Why people argue about this
People often assume that the 1.25 km loop is a fixed distance for all Open Water Swimming events, which leads to arguments about whether they've completed the course correctly. However, the official verdict clarifies that this 1.25 km loop is only used as a base for multi-lap distances of 10 and 25 kilometers, not for individual swims themselves.
Individual events: at the Olympic Games and World Aquatics Championships each Member Federation may enter a maximum of two Athletes per individual event (Article 9.1 of Part Three).; Mixed Team Event: each Member Federation may enter one team of four Athletes — two men and two women, all of the s...
— Article 9.1, Article 8.1, Article 8.2
Why people argue about this
People often assume that yellow cards and red cards are only used for team relays in open water swimming events at World Championships, but actually, they apply equally to individual races as well. The confusion arises because this rule detail is not widely publicized or emphasized in the general rules handbook.
At the Olympic Games and World Aquatics Events, Athletes start from a fixed starting platform, with positions assigned by random draw; at other competitions the organiser may instead choose an in-water start (Articles 3.1.1–3.1.2 of Part Three).; On the Starter's command "take your marks," Athlet...
— Article 3.3.4, Article 7.6.1
Why people argue about this
People often assume that since drafting is allowed in open water swimming, they can use it aggressively to gain an unfair advantage by closely following other swimmers without permission. However, the key fact clarifies this: while drafting is permitted, it must not be done deliberately to obstruct or hinder another swimmer.
Placings are determined by the Chief Referee from the Automatic Officiating Equipment where available; times and placings recorded by this equipment take precedence over Finish Judges' and Timekeepers' records (Articles 12.3.3.1–12.3.3.2 of Part Three).; If Automatic Officiating Equipment is not ...
— Article 7.3.4, Article 2.197
Why people argue about this
People often assume that in Open Water Swimming's Section 6 scoring, they should focus solely on their own race times to qualify for the Olympics, forgetting that prior World Championship and continental qualifier results are also factored into Olympic qualification criteria. This leads to misunderstandings about how points from different competitions interplay towards Olympic eligibility.
Yellow card (first infraction): the Chief Referee or an appointed Referee raises a yellow flag and displays the Athlete's number as an official warning; the infraction is recorded and all Technical Officials are notified (Articles 4.2.2.3–4.2.2.4 of Part Three).; Red card (second infraction): a s...
Why people argue about this
People often assume that getting two yellow cards for impeding in a row means you're automatically disqualified right away, but actually, it triggers an automatic disqualification only if these incidents happen consecutively during the same race leg or segment of swimming. They miss understanding the rule's conditionality and context within the overall race structure.
Water temperature is checked at three points around the course, at a depth of 40 cm, two hours before the race and again at ten minutes before and every thirty minutes during the race; if the water measures below 16.0°C or above 31.0°C at any inte...
— Article 14.3.1, Article 14.3.11
Why people argue about this
People often assume that the mandatory water temperature check is only for safety reasons, forgetting that it's also a way for swimmers to prepare their gear and clothing accordingly. They overlook how crucial accurate water temp data can be in choosing appropriate layers or even altering race strategies based on expected conditions.
At the Olympic Games and World Aquatics Events, Athletes start from a fixed starting platform, with positions assigned by random draw; at other competitions the organiser may instead choose an in-water start (Articles 3.1.1–3.1.2 of Part Three).; On the Starter's command "take your marks," Athlet...
— Article 3.3.4
Why people argue about this
People often assume that athletes must start from a fixed platform in all open water swimming events, which leads them to misunderstand that organizers have the option to choose an in-water start for other competitions instead of using the traditional starting method.