🏛️Official — World Aquatics
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Water Sports
1 players
outdoor
swimsuit, goggle, fins
10 essential rules
Open Water Swimming is the discipline of competitive long-distance swimming in natural bodies of water — oceans, lakes, rivers, reservoirs — governed internationally by World Aquatics (renamed from FINA in January 2023). The Olympic marathon swim (10 km) was added to the program at Beijing 2008. ...
Drafting allowed — swimmers may swim directly behind another to reduce drag; Contact tolerated provided not deliberately obstructive (no pulling, no submerging opponents); Swimmer responsible for own navigation — must round each turning buoy on prescribed side
Race finishes at a touch pad on a floating gantry — swimmer's hand contact registers final time; Photo-finish protocol for close finishes
Swimsuit: World Aquatics-approved suit (textile-only since 2010); men's suit max from waist to knee, women's max from shoulder to knee; Cap: mandatory event-issued numbered cap (high-visibility colors); Goggles: permitted (anti-glare recommended for sun)
Course: closed loop typically 1.25 km or 2.5 km, multi-lap for 10 km and 25 km; Turning buoys: large inflatable navigation buoys at each corner; swimmers must round on prescribed side; Feeding station: floating dock or pontoon where coaches can pass food/drink to swimmers via long poles (10 km an...
Individual race (mass start) at 5 km / 10 km / 25 km; Team relay: 4 swimmers (2M + 2W mixed) × 1.25 km each at World Championships; Officials: referee, course umpires (on motorized boats), feeding-station judge, timing officials
Mass start: all swimmers enter water at signal (typically from pontoon dive-in); False start rules apply — second offense = disqualification; Drafting allowed — swimmers may swim directly behind another to reduce drag
Individual race: lowest elapsed time wins; Top-10 typically separated by <30 seconds in elite 10 km races; World Cup series: round points → series standings
Yellow card: warning (impeding, holding, kicking deliberately, illegal feed); Red card: disqualification; Two yellows: automatic disqualification
Open water swimming presents unique risks: hypothermia, hyperthermia, drowning, jellyfish/marine-life contact, navigation hazards. World Aquatics mandates: water-temperature pre-race measurement (r...
Mass start: all swimmers enter water at signal (typically from pontoon dive-in); False start rules apply — second offense = disqualification
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