I just saw an article about the new FINA swim rules and I'm confused about the one relating to swimming unattached in a SCM or LCM meet. The new rule states that if a swimmer does enter a meet as unattached not only will his or her time not count for FINA top ten or a record, but that everyone in the meet will also have their times be unrecognized. Sounds a bit harsh.
Also, backstrokers can no longer finish underwater. How will that be judged? What if your entire body is submerged on the final lunge except for the toes of one foot completing a final kick?
Clarification from our rule gurus please.
1) Yes, it's true, 2)no, you have to enter with a club recognized by your federation (USMS in our case).
The reason that Europe seems to hate unattached swimmers is that somewhere, one or more people who have no ties to any federation have tried to gain recognition on FINA's top ten lists by calling themselves unattached. Only in these cases, it is more of a globally unattached thing. So, since only USA and a very few other countries even recognize unattached (meaning not representing a club) swimmers, FINA has created this kind of new ruling to protect our legal swimmers from being supplanted by unattached interlopers. It affected our rules a little more significantly because we have a 60 day non-compete rule that allows someone to transfer between clubs by becoming unattached for a short time.
Clear yet?
1) Yes, it's true, 2)no, you have to enter with a club recognized by your federation (USMS in our case).
The reason that Europe seems to hate unattached swimmers is that somewhere, one or more people who have no ties to any federation have tried to gain recognition on FINA's top ten lists by calling themselves unattached. Only in these cases, it is more of a globally unattached thing. So, since only USA and a very few other countries even recognize unattached (meaning not representing a club) swimmers, FINA has created this kind of new ruling to protect our legal swimmers from being supplanted by unattached interlopers. It affected our rules a little more significantly because we have a 60 day non-compete rule that allows someone to transfer between clubs by becoming unattached for a short time.
Clear yet?
