When should a Relay be DQd?

Onto my next pondering.... With the advent of relay judging platforms, perhaps it is time to change how "early exchanges" on relays are managed. Currently, it only takes one early exchange (no matter how small) to negate the entire relay even if the other two exchanges are exceedingly slow. Proposal: When relay judging platforms are in place, a relay time should be legal provided the initial start is fair and the cumulative time for all 3 exchanges is positive. Under this scenario, the team did not gain an advantage and the relay time should count. For obvious reasons, this concept cannot be applied to meets that do not have relay judging platforms in place. However, a compromise could be accommodated. For each exchange that is judged too fast, the relay team is penalized 5 seconds. And, knowing that some relays might attempt a flagrant early exchange abuse, the Meet Referee could DQ the relay for unsportsmanlike conduct. Paul
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  • Dan, In Masters, the entire relay must complete the event without being DQ'd (103.18.1C(3)). USA Swimming is different and accepts the lead-off leg even if one of the subsequent legs is DQ'd. Don't know why Masters is different. Paul
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  • Dan, In Masters, the entire relay must complete the event without being DQ'd (103.18.1C(3)). USA Swimming is different and accepts the lead-off leg even if one of the subsequent legs is DQ'd. Don't know why Masters is different. Paul
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