Different Types of Officials

Referee – the single most important officiating role in competitive swimming, the referee
has full control. He or she is responsible for enforcing the rules, settling disputes between
coaches and other officials and calling swimmers to their respective blocks. When the
referee is preparing to start the swim, he or she will blow a short whistle blast to tell
swimmers to stand next to their blocks. The referee will then blow a longer whistle blast to
tell swimmers to stand on their blocks.

Starter – responsible for sending swimmers off the block and making sure each swimmer
leaves on time. If a swimmer jumps early, the starter may penalize him or her for a false
start. The starter controls the swimmers from the time the referee turns them over to when
the race begins.

Clerk of course – also referred to as a bullpen, this official organizes the competitive
swimmers before the race based on their heat times (qualifying swims). While there are
always exceptions to this rule, most heats in competitive swim are seeded from slowest to
fastest.

Timekeepers – as the name suggests, timekeepers are responsible for recording the time
of the swimmer(s) in his or her respective name. There are typically two timekeepers for
each lane, each of which uses a stopwatch to record swimmers' times.

Inspector of turns – observes swimmers during the start, finish, and turns, ensuring they
follow all rules and regulations. There are two inspector of turns used in most competitive
swims: one at the front-end of the pool and another at the rear. If a swimmer makes a
violation during a turn, the inspector of turns must create a “disqualification report” for the
chief inspector of turns, who then hands the report to the referee.

Judges of stroke – responsible for observing swimmers' style to ensure they are using
proper technique. Judges of stroke may also assist inspector of turns during the start and
finish.

Finish judges – identifies which order swimmers finish, and that swimmers finish using the
correct style (e.g. competitive backstroke swimmers must finish on their back).
 1.Individual medley consists of a single swimmer swimming equal distances of four different
strokes within one race.
Individual medley consists of four strokes. The swimmer will swim one quarter of the
race in each style, in a certain order. The strokes are swum in this order:
 Butterfly
 Backstroke
 Breaststroke
 Freestyle (this can be any stroke except the butterfly, backstroke, or
breaststroke; most swimmers use the front crawl)
2.Medley relay consists of four different swimmers in one relay race, each swimming one of the
four strokes.
Medley relay is swum by four different swimmers, each swimming one of the four strokes. The
order of the strokes is as follows:
 Backstroke
 Breaststroke
 Butterfly
 Freestyle the only limitation being that none of backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly
stroke may be used for this leg. Most swimmers use the front crawl.

Basic rules The four competitive swimming strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.
The combination of all four strokes is called individual medley or IM.

In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most commonly used is sometimes
called the crawl,

which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the surface of the water surface and an
alternating(up-and-down) flutter kick.

Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns,
swimmers may rotate to the stomach and perform a flip turn after taking 1 freestyle arm pull, and some
part of the swimmer must touch the wall. The swimmer must finish on the back.

The breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The
hands are pressed out from in front of the breast in a heart shaped pattern and recovered under or on
the surface of the water. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a
frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously at,
above or below the water surface. Pull, breathe, kick, and glide.

Some consider the butterfly to be the most beautiful of the strokes. It features a simultaneous straight
arm recovery of the arms over the water combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the
swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissors or use the breaststroke kick. Both
hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the finish.
The individual medley, commonly referred to as the I.M., features all four strokes. In the IM, the swimmer
begins with the butterfly, then backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle.

Disqualifications or DQ’s The technical rules of swimming are designed to provide fair and equitable
conditions of competition and to promote uniformity in the sport. Each swimming stroke has specific rules
designed to ensure that no swimmer gets an unfair competitive advantage over another swimmer.

Trained officials observe the swimmers during each event to ensure compliance with these technical rules.
If a swimmer commits an infraction of the rules that is observed by an official, a disqualification (DQ) will
result. This means that the swimmer will not receive an official time and will not be eligible for an award
in that event. A disqualification may result from actions such as not getting to the starting blocks on time,
false starting, performing strokes in an illegal manner, transports manlike conduct.

DQs are also a result of technical rules violations. They include but are not limited to:

Freestyle: Walking on the bottom, pulling on the lane rope, not touching the wall on a turn, or not
completing the distance.

Backstroke: Pulling or kicking into the wall once a swimmer has turned passed the vertical onto the breast.
Turning onto the breast before touching the wall with the hand at the finish of the race.

Breaststroke: An illegal kick such as flutter (freestyle), dolphin (butterfly), or scissors (side stroke); not on
the breast; alternating movements of the arms; taking two arm strokes or two leg kicks while the head is
under water; touching with only one hand at the turns or finish.

Butterfly: Alternating movements of the arms or legs; pushing the arms forward under instead of over the
water surface (underwater recovery); a breaststroke style of kick; touching with only one hand at the turns
or finish.