There is nothing more challenging for an official than having to DQ a swimmer for a false start: either a dual confirmation done after the heat has been started or for the lone swimmer who goes in all by themselves.
It is a shame that starting early and only gaining, at most, .5 seconds results in the entire race being nullified. I would hate to be the 400 IMer or the 1650 swimmer if that were to happen.
So, instead of nullifying the entire swim, consider a time penalty assessed for a False Start. In either situation that I mentioned in the first paragraph, the swimmer incurs a 5 seconds penalty when the False Start is dual confirmed. The swimmer gets the benefit of the race, albeit with a time penalty.
This could be managed quite easier with a software change in Meet Manager or whatever meet software is being used.
Paul
The concept is interesting. I’ll give you more fuel to argue with yourself.
If a swimmer false starts, even by a blink, the swimmer should be disqualified because it’s unsportsmanlike. An overly quick reaction can throw off the swimmers next to them and is deserving of more than a time penalty because their action affected a level playing field. The swimmers on one end of the pool are blissfully unaware. The swimmers next to the offender generally hesitate or jump early as a result of the movement of a swimmer next to them.
Also, in swimming, the judge is supposed to be 100% confident in all DQs. There is no video replay for officials. In all questionable cases, the benefit is supposed to go to the swimmer. If someone really is a barely a flinch too soon off the blocks, is the human eye really going to pick that up with 100% certainty? No.
Also, if you miss the wall and really, truly are missing it by a toenail but you went into the wall with certainty and kicked hard enough to get off of it, there’s going to be a lot of bubbles. If the official can’t see through the bubbles, there’s no DQ because the official can’t be 100% sure if the toenail hit the wall or didn’t hit the wall. So, now we’d be assessing penalties on things were SURE broke the rules, not cases of maybe they did and maybe they didn’t.
The concept is interesting. I’ll give you more fuel to argue with yourself.
If a swimmer false starts, even by a blink, the swimmer should be disqualified because it’s unsportsmanlike. An overly quick reaction can throw off the swimmers next to them and is deserving of more than a time penalty because their action affected a level playing field. The swimmers on one end of the pool are blissfully unaware. The swimmers next to the offender generally hesitate or jump early as a result of the movement of a swimmer next to them.
Also, in swimming, the judge is supposed to be 100% confident in all DQs. There is no video replay for officials. In all questionable cases, the benefit is supposed to go to the swimmer. If someone really is a barely a flinch too soon off the blocks, is the human eye really going to pick that up with 100% certainty? No.
Also, if you miss the wall and really, truly are missing it by a toenail but you went into the wall with certainty and kicked hard enough to get off of it, there’s going to be a lot of bubbles. If the official can’t see through the bubbles, there’s no DQ because the official can’t be 100% sure if the toenail hit the wall or didn’t hit the wall. So, now we’d be assessing penalties on things were SURE broke the rules, not cases of maybe they did and maybe they didn’t.
