On Wednesday, September 25th, 2013, a slate of new FINA rules kick in.
To see the full rule-book that will be in effect from 2013-2017, click here.
The major among these is the fact that for the first time, FINA will be recognizing World Records in mixed medley relays. The race will be on to see who can put up the first sanctioned relays in mixed medleys and stamp their names on the World Record book. Odds are that the winners of that battle won’t be a big national-team relay that will eventually hold it at some point in the next year, but someone is going to get a bit of a free pass into the history books.
Remember that while these swims can count for mixed relay records, their lead-off legs will not be able to count as individual records.
There are also many changes to Masters’ swimming’s rules book, though those specific to that level are administrative. Specifically, Masters swimmers must now, by rule, belong to a club to swim a time recognized in the FINA World Rankings top 10 or break a FINA World Record.
Other new rules that apply to both levels include:
In breaststroke and butterfly, two-hand touches can no longer be overlapping. The hands must be separated when the wall is touched.
In backstroke, FINA took out the wording that a swimmer is allowed to be completely submerged at the finish of a race (though they can still do so at the turn). This means that the big lunges we see, most often in younger age groups, that put the swimmer entirely underwater into the wall are now eliminated. This is important for all coaches to keep an eye on.
Well, good. I’m glad that the rule enforcement will now follow what has been stated in the USA rule book all those years; “being submerged is allowed on the start, during turns, and at the finish”! At least that is the way I read it for years leading up to my retirement in 2011.
It’s not just that it may or may not be faster, it was just another possible questionable call for an official to make, and I some plenty. It’s just a good thing for swimming and for officiating, now, finally.
Eugene Watson
Heyyya guys I luv simming iz rit gud m8s!
Please clarify charge, parents are saying head/face out of the water. Where I understand any part of the body out of the water at the touch of the wall finish. Please help. Rhonda
rhonda – as written now, ANY part of the body can be above water to be legal at the finish. The full text of the rule is below.
The only place that the head is specified is in the butterfly and freestyle 15 meter rules, that specify that the “head must have broken the surface” by the 15 meter mark. It doesn’t say, however, that the head specifically must stay above water, just that it must have broken the surface by 15 meters. At that point, as long as something is above water, it’s legal.
SW 5.3 Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the
race, except it shall be permissible for the… Read more »
6th October and first backstroke finish DQ under new rule!
Video showed feet above water on touch so legal finish., officials at end of lane cannot possibly see touch, take the time and judge lawful finish. Protested however cannot change result. So Unfair on athlete.would have been PB!
Can you guys clarify this rule.. Does it apply for college swimming? At the all Florida invite almost half of every heat completely submerges at the finish and no DQs….
I’m confused.
I feel like we’ve been dealing with this backstroke rule for a while, that you couldn’t be completely submerged for the finish? Maybe I missed something. And those that are worried, having a single toe out of the water constitutes “not being fully submerged”.
It seems this rule will be as mis appropriately used as the 15m rule
My thoughts entirely,
A teammate of mine was disqualified in a backstroke event a few years back because he fully submerged at the finish. Does this mean his disqualification shouldn’t have counted?
Keep in mind that these are FINA rules. USA Swimming has its own rulebook which is quite different :S
I think USA Swimming adopted these rules as well.
FINA rules are automatically implicated into USA/USMS just sometimes they are too confusing and need to be reworded or changed.