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Scoring

Success in swimming is not judged on points or goals, but rather on times and places.

Races are started with electronic pistols and are only sounded again if an athlete makes a false start. In all races swimmers must strike a pressure pad at the end of their lane to stop the clock.

Rules

The technical rules of swimming are designed to provide fair 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 violates the rules, and in doing so, 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, or unsportsmanlike conduct.

Disqualifications are also a result of technical rules violations. These include:

• freestyle - stepping or walking on the bottom of the pool, pulling on the lane rope, not touching the wall on a turn, or not completing the distance
• backstroke - not remaining on the back throughout the swim except when turning, pulling or kicking into the wall once turning past the vertical onto the breast, turning onto the breast before touching the wall with the hand at the finish of the race
• breaststroke - not swimming on the breast, an illegal kick such as flutter, dolphin, or scissors, non-simultaneous movements of the arms, taking two arm strokes or two leg kicks while the head is underwater, or touching with only one hand at the turns or finish instead of two
• butterfly - non-simultaneous movements of the arms or legs, pushing the arms forward under the water instead of over the water surface, using a breaststroke-style kick, or touching with only one hand at the turns or at the finish instead of two

Officials

A swimming competition requires a large number of volunteers to support the running of the day. These include:

• Starter - they maintain control of the swimmers at the moment the referee hands them over. From this point they will ensure a safe and fair start for all.
• Clerk of course - these people line up competitors in correct order, ready for starting.
• Timekeepers - these are assigned to every lane and provide official times for all competitors. They will not be used if a venue has a fully automated timing system.
• Inspectors of turns - one inspector of turns is assigned to one or more lanes at each end of the pool. Each inspector of turns ensures that swimmers comply with the relevant rules for turning as well as the relevant rules for start and finish of the race.
• Judges of stroke - these are located on each side of the pool. They ensure that the rules related to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed, and observe the turns and the finishes to assist the inspectors of turns.
• Finish judges – these determine the order of finish and make sure the swimmers finish in accordance with the rules (two hands simultaneously for breaststroke and butterfly, on the back for backstroke, etc).