SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers
RESULTS
Question: Which parts of the new FINA World Cup rules do you dislike? (Vote for all that apply)
- Direct finals access for select swimmers – 47.6%
- 4-event-per-swimmer cap – 33.6%
- Different event lineups at each meet – 16.3%
- I like all of the format changes – 2.4%
SwimSwam voters overwhelmingly pointed to direct finals access for major medalists as the most disliked World Cup format change, with almost half of votes going for that rules update.
This week’s poll allowed users to vote for more than one option, and there’s a lot of crossover between those who didn’t like any of the three major changes. Interestingly, about a third of votes went to the 4-event cap for each swimmer at each meet. That’s a rule that’s been in place in roughly similar form for years in the American Pro Swim Series (a cap of 7 events in 3 days on the PSS compared to 4 events over 2 days on the World Cup) and has drawn very little criticism.
47.6% of votes targeted direct finals access as the most disliked change. The new World Cup format allows World Champs and Olympic medalists free access to event finals, without even requiring a prelims swim.
About 16% disliked the shifting event lineups that feature each event in two of the three meets in each cluster.
Swim fans continue to have an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the changes, with only 2.4% of votes supporting all of the changes.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters which of the two remaining major international meets of the season they are most excited for:
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
All of them.
Why should Sarah do heats of the 50-100 fly & free. Is some local going to beat her?
While she may not have to put in much effort to make finals she should have to go through the same procedure as everyone else.
“This week’s poll allowed users to vote for more than one option, and there’s a lot of crossover between those who didn’t like any of the three major changes”
Did anybody do that? The totals add up to 99.9%.
I thought I would be the first persnickety one to see that, but you beat me to it.
Steve Nolan – those percentages are out of the total votes cast, not the total users to cast votes. Unfortunately, we don’t have a good way to track individual ballots, plus users can vote in the poll multiple times, which throws off tallies of voters as opposed to specific votes.