FINA Posts Full List of Rules to be Voted On by Swimming Technical Congress

FINA has posted the proposed rules changes for this summer’s Technical Congress meeting in Barcelona, and as of the version produced on March 6th, adding dolphin kicks to the breaststroke is not on the agenda, despite several reports that it will be considered.

There are many notable rules to be considered specifically by the Swimming Congress that will deal with technical rules changes. The biggest structural change that is up for vote is regarding the fervor surrounding the underwater dolphin kicks on breaststroke.

FINA has not yet posted the list of rules to be considered by its General Congress, which would include things like new event additions. Highlighted below are the ones that we feel are the most interesting among them (separated into those recommended by the bureau, and those not):

RECOMMENDED

Seeding

• A tweak to the seeding rules for preliminary heats of the 400, 800, and 1500 meter events, where it has been proposed that the last two heats be circle seeded, rather than the last three. This would mean that in an 8 lane pool, the top seed would be in the last heat lane 4, then second-to-last lane 4, then last lane 5, second-to-last lane 5, and so on. This is presumably a recommendation made on the basis that these longer races tend to have a much greater disparity in time than do the shorter 100 and 200 meter races, and therefore this change would better ensure a true final.

Backstroke

• The Denmark and Zimbabwe Federations have proposed that rule SW 6.3 be changed to no longer allow a swimmer to become completely submerged at the finish of a backstroke race.
• Changing the backstroke turn rules to require swimmers to make an IMMEDIATE continuous arm pull. Under current rules, the pull must just be continuous, but there are no restrictions on how long that continuity might last.

Breaststroke

• The bureau has recommended, in fact, that the big rules change regarding allowing unlimited dolphin kicks on the start of breaststroke be adopted. For those curious about the exact wording of the proposal: After the start, the swimmer may take one arm stroke completely back to the
  legs during which the swimmer may be completely submerged for a distance of not more than
  15 metres. Multiple Butterfly kicks are permitted while completely submerged. Once the swimmer’s head breaks the surface of the water, the stroke cycle must be one arm
  stroke and one leg kick in that order. All movements of the arms shall be simultaneous and on
  the same horizontal plane without alternating movement. At the last stroke before the turn and
  at the finish an arm stroke not followed by a leg kick is permitted.
• The bureau recommended that a rule be added still allowing a single butterfly kick off of each wall, as compared to alternative proposals that would eliminate the butterfly kick off of other turns, and others that would allow a full 15 meters underwater off of each wall.

Butterfly

• Rules change would allow swimmers to be on their back during the butterfly turn, so long as they are back on their fronts by the time they leave the wall. A subtle change, but a DQ that is called more often than you might think.
• Requiring that hands must be separated when making a two-handed touch at any wall.

The Race

• Furthering the list of examples of aid devices not allowed during a race to include “power bands” and “adhesive substances”.
• A proposal specifying that mixed relays may be swum, consisting of two men and two women, and clarifying that split times in said relays cannot count for records of entry times. This harkens back to when Libby Trickett broke the World Record in the 100 free in 52.99, but the record was not counted as she raced against a man: Michael Phelps.

Records

• The Bureau has recommended that World Records be allowed in Mixed 400 medley and free relay in both short course and long course, and 200 meter relays (co-ed and single gender) in short course.
• This is sort of a funny and archaic one, but the proposal would cause that World Records only be allowed in fresh water pools. At present, the official World Record form allows for “Sea Water” and “Ocean Water” pools.

NOT RECOMMENDED

IM/Medley Relays

• This one could be really significant. A proposal from the Zimbabwe Federation proposed that the rule be eliminated that disallows repeating a stroke on the “freestyle” leg of an IM or medley relay race. Under current rules, a swimmer can choose any stroke in a freestyle race, with the exception of these medley events, where swimmers are not allowed to repeat strokes.

Freestyle

• Zimbabwe has proposed that a swimmer be allowed to stand during freestyle, though not walk or push off.

General

• Several federations proposed changes to rules that were largely inconsequential to intent, but improved the readability and appropriate language of said rules. These went largely un-recommended.

To read all of the swimming rules changes proposed, click here.