Gala Swimming Regulations

Start procedure 
  • Referee blows 3 short whistle
  • Announcer states which race it is 
  • One long whistle - swimmers get up onto block (or into water for backstroke & second long whistle to call to block)
  • “Take your marks
  • Start signal - may be bleep, horn or whistle - you GO
  • You must remain still from the “take your marks” until you hear/see the starters signal
  • Your head must surface within 15m of the start, except in breaststroke

Backstroke
  • You must hold the starting block with two hands
  • Your toes must not bend over the side or gutter
  • You must remain on your back throughout the race, except when initiating a tumble turn
  • Tumble turns must be a “continuous turning action”. This means you must not travel on your front outside of the turning action, as soon as you roll over your must start your somersault with one or two arms pulling in one continuous action
  • For touch turns you must remain on your back throughout the turn
  • You must finish the race (touch the wall) on your back and with some part of your body above the water

Breaststroke
  • All movements are simultaneous, imagine a mirror down the centre of your body & make sure both sides are doing the same
  • Head must break surface of water every stroke cycle
  • Hands must not pull below hips, except during the underwater phase at the start & after the turn
  • Feet must turn out for kick - no pointed toes!
  • At the start & after the turn you are allowed one keyhole pull down to your thighs followed by one breaststroke kick underwater
  • When proficient you are taught the inclusion of a downward dolphin kick during the underwater pull
  • You must touch with 2 hands at the same time and not overlapping each other, at the turn and finish

Butterfly
  • All movements are simultaneous, imagine a mirror down the centre of your body & make sure both sides are doing the same
  • Both feet must move up and down together
  • Both arms must come forwards over the water together and pullback together
  • At the start & after the turn you are allowed as many underwater dolphin kicks as you like and one underwater butterfly pull which brings you to the surface, provided you surface by the 15m mark
  • You must touch with 2 hands at the same time and not touching each other, at the turn and finish

Freestyle
  • No specific rules, but follow the general rules like not stepping along the bottom!! You can stand. 

Finish
  • Remain in the water until you are told to get out by the referee
  • In the first 3 legs of a relay the swimmer leaves the water at the side of the pool when they have finished their leg, but they must not get in the way of swimmers in other lanes - so look carefully
  • The final swimmer remains in the water until told to get out.

The full official rules set by FINA (International Swimming Federation) can be found here: www.fina.org/sites/default/files/2017_2021_swimming_16032018.pdf