Then they should redefine the fourth stroke as "forward crawl" in the IM. Freestyle means anything goes, but what everyone interprets it to mean is the crawl. Then define rules accordingly.
Personally, I would hate a competitive stroke being labeled "crawl." Sounds dreadful; it's an outdated term mostly used by people who don't compete (or even swim).
And why is it even necessary to invent and define a 5th stroke? There is no one who wouldn't do freestyle on the last leg of an IM. If they're doing a few dolphin kicks on their back, side or belly first, who cares? As long as they are up by the 15 m mark.
Then they should redefine the fourth stroke as "forward crawl" in the IM. Freestyle means anything goes, but what everyone interprets it to mean is the crawl. Then define rules accordingly.
Personally, I would hate a competitive stroke being labeled "crawl." Sounds dreadful; it's an outdated term mostly used by people who don't compete (or even swim).
And why is it even necessary to invent and define a 5th stroke? There is no one who wouldn't do freestyle on the last leg of an IM. If they're doing a few dolphin kicks on their back, side or belly first, who cares? As long as they are up by the 15 m mark.
