KIDS Aquathlon

RULES AND REGULATIONS

of the first kids swimming competition in open water

in the Lacul Valea Morilor, Chisinau

July 15, 2018

1. Aims and objectives

• – promotion of a healthy lifestyle;

• – promotion of sports and amateur swimming in open water;

• – revealing of the strongest young swimmers;

2. The swimming competition in open water shall be held in natural waters (rivers, lakes, seas and oceans), and specifically in the Lacul Valea Morilor, Chisinau, and is divided into:

• – KIDS AQUATHLON - 200 metri(SWIM)+1,5km(RUN)

3. The participants registration and the entry fee amount

Registration is available on the website seamile.md until July 13 inclusively. You will not be able to register after this date.

Cost of participation fee:

100 MDL - starting package 

4. Participants in the competition

Participation in the race is allowed for children, amateurs or professionals, aged between 8 and 15 years:

- 8-10 years old;

- 11-13 years old;

- 14-15 years old;

Every participant that feels insecure in water, can use a swim vest in the swimming part of our competition. The swim vest needs to be fully functional before the start of the swimming lap and left in a special container with the number of the participant on it, in the transit zone, at the end of the lap.

All participants must necessarily have a copy of their identity card (birth certificate, passport or identity card), have parental agreement in written form with personal data from parents’ id card and signed. All athletes shall sign a form of responsibility for their own life and health. All parents (tutors) of the contest participants will complete and sign a declaration on their own responsibility that the child is medically fit for participation in the contest.

5. Rules of the competition

5.1. Start:

5.1.1. Only members who have a special chip and swimming cap will be allowed for the start.

5.1.2. The swimming race participants must be present at the start line in time, which is in front of the start line arch.

5.1.3. At the appropriate intervals, the judge must inform the swimmers and the arbiters of the time remaining before the start and with one-minute intervals during the last five minutes.

5.1.4. The participants should take their starting positions in accordance with the aligning scheme.

5.1.5. The start line must be clearly marked with the help of the start line arch.

5.1.6. The start signal must be audible to all participants of the competition.

5.1.7. If, in the opinion of the arbitrators, a false start took place, the swimming race participants must be stopped with a false start signal, returned to the starting position and a repeated start should be given.

5.1.8. In the allowed possibility of joint start for both men and women as well as age categories, male and female swims should be treated as separate events.

5.2. Location of the competition:

5.2.1. The route should be located in salt or fresh water, which is exposed to the action of the tides and currents to the minimal extent.

5.2.2. The relevant local health and rescue services should issue a certificate of the location suitability for the competition. In general terms, a certificate must, in addition to other considerations, take into account the ratio between the purity (clarity) of water and medical safety.

5.2.3. The minimum depth of water at any point of the route (excluding the Start and Finish zones) should be 1 m.

5.2.4. The minimum water temperature should be 16°C. It should be checked in the day of the swimming race, 2 hours before the start, in the middle of the route at a depth of 40 cm. This control must be carried out in the presence of a commission, composed of the following persons: the referee, a member of the Organizing Committee and one of the coaches of the teams, participating, designated during the technical meeting.

5.2.5. All turns/route changes should be clearly marked.

5.2.6. Clearly marked platforms or rafts for judges in the turning points should be positioned at all points of the route change, being placed so that they wouldn’t as not to turn a blind swimmer’s arc of the turning point overview.

5.2.7. All equipment on the turns, the arbitrators’ floatboards/platforms should be fixed and not drift under the influence of currents, wind or other factors.

5.2.8. Last finish line must be clearly marked with the signs of characteristic color.

5.2.9. The finish line should be clearly defined and marked by a vertical and a horizontal layout.

5.3. Swimming race:

5.3.1. All events in open water are held in freestyle.

5.3.2. Creating obstacles, interference and attempts to make contact with another swimmer, which, in the opinion of the Referee, may be deemed as the “unsportsmanlike behavior”, may result in disqualification.

5.3.3. The accompanying boats should be maneuvering so as not to interfere and not to be directly in front of the other swimmer.

5.3.4. Standing on the bottom during the race is not a violation, but the swimmer should not go or jump along the bottom.

5.3.5. With the exception of paragraph 4.3.4., swimmers shall not get any support from any fixed or floating object and shall not intentionally touch the accompanying boat or be supported by the team in this boat.

5.3.6. Swimmers are not permitted to use or wear any item that promotes an increase in speed, endurance or buoyancy. Allowed: swimming suit, swim goggles, cap, nose clip and ear plugs.

5.3.7. Accompanying of the swimmer by another person in water is not allowed.

5.3.8. All swimmers must have a clearly visible participant’s number, painted with the waterproof paint in the upper part of the back or arms.

5.3.9. In the event of adverse weather conditions and inability to hold the event, the organizers reserve the right to postpone the event for next week.

5.4. Finish of the swimming race:

5.4.1. The area leading to the finish line must be clearly marked with rows of buoys, which narrow as they approach the finish line (wall). Duty boats must be placed on the way and at the entrance to the finish line.

5.4.2. Finishing equipment should, where possible, be a vertical wall fixed to floating devices, securely mounted in place, so as not to move under the influence of wind, current or force of the finishing swimmer. This wall must be wide enough for at least three swimmers finishing.

5.4.3. Arbiters at the finish line should be placed so as to be in alignment with the finish line and to see the finish all the time. No one should be allowed in the area, where they are located.

5.4.4. Before leaving the water, some swimmers may require assistance. If swimmers clearly show that they are asking for help, they may be supported or helped to get out of the water.

5.5. The transition area

The transition area is common for swimming and running.

Access to and exit from the transition area will be secured and will be allowed only for participants.

DETAILS ON SECURING OF TRANSITION AREA:

1. Video monitoring;

2. Access will be allowed only based on number;

3. Security will be provided by a security agency.

The placement of the equipment in the transit area will be carried out according to the official program. The transition area cannot be entered after a certain time interval, for safety reasons, other than by the competitors who are in during the race, even if the start of the race in which the competitor participates was not yet given. The placement of the equipment must be done in the rack segment allotted according the competition and race numbers in which the competitor participates.  On the racks will be mounted signs that will indicate for each segment the number range in which the equipment can be placed.

5.6 The running competition route

The road traffic will be completely closed on the running competition route. One lap of the route equals to 1 km and it should be crossed once.

6. Disqualification

The athlete may be disqualified for the following violations:

• – participating in the competition without a swimming cap;

• – participating in the competition without the timing chip;

• – unsportsmanlike conduct;

• – taking a shortcut.

7. Winners awarding

8. Arbitration board

The following arbiters are appointed for the open water competition:

• – Main arbiter

• – Arbiters

• – Marshals

• – Main safety arbiter

• – Main distance arbiter

• – Medical support arbiter – doctor

• – Starter

• – Chief timekeeper (timing arbiter)

• – Arbiters at the turning points

9. The responsibilities of the arbiters

9.1. The main arbiter shall:

• – fully control and direct the actions of all the arbiters, approve their appointment and instruct arbiters on the specifics and rules relating to competitions; decide all issues relating to the conduct of the meeting, swimming race and the competition, the final interpretation of which is not provided by these rules;

• – assign each arbiter to a specific location;

• – ensure that all arbiters, required for running the swimming competition, are in place. With the referee’s permission, he may replace any arbiter, if he is absent, is unable to work or is incapable of coping with his responsibilities. He may appoint additional arbiters, if he considers it necessary;

• – have the right to interfere in the conduct of the competition at any stage in order to ensure compliance with the rules;

• – adjudicate all protests during the competition;

• – make a decision in cases where the arbiters’ decision does not coincide with the registered results;

• – disqualify a swimmer for any violation of the rules that he personally saw or about which he was told by any other authorized referee.

9.2 The marshal shall:

• – be positioned in an accompanying boat, assigned by a drawing just before the start, so that he is always able to control a certain area;

• – constantly monitor compliance with competition rules, record violations and report them to the Referee at the earliest opportunity;

• – conduct the full record of the information about the swimmer, including the distance he overcomes in an hour, his manner of swimming, feeding time, etc.;

• – withdraw the swimmer out of the water, if he violates the rules;

• – make sure that all the swimmers are moving along the marked area without cutting the distance;

• – if the swimmer is moving in the wrong direction – direct him to the route

• – ensure that a swimmer is not taking advantage of fraudulent acts or shows unsportsmanlike conduct towards other swimmers.

9.3 The main safety arbiter shall:

• – be responsible for all safety aspects, related to the conduct of the competition;

• – check, paying special attention to the start and finish areas, that the entire route is safe, fit for competition and free from any obstructions;

• – be responsible for the presence during the competitions of the trained rescue teams in order to ensure the safety of swimmers in conjunction with the accompanying boats;

• – inform the Referee together with the doctor about any conditions, which in their opinion,  are unsuitable for the competition, and make recommendations for changes of the route or the way the competition is held.

9.4. The main distance arbiter shall:

• – be responsible before the Organizing Committee for the correct measurement of the route;

• – make sure that the start and finish areas are properly marked, all the equipment is properly installed, and is in a useful and working condition;

• – make sure that all turning points of the route are marked in accordance with the scheme of the route, and the arbiters at the turning points took their places before the start of the competition, and inform the main arbiter about this;

• – survey the route in cooperation with the referee and the deputy chief security arbiter and its marking before the competition.

9.5. The medical support arbiter – doctor shall:

• – be responsible to the Referee for all medical issues, related to the competition and the participants;

• – inform the local medical institutions of the nature of competition and to ensure that in case of accidents, any person could be delivered in medical hospitals in the shortest possible time;

• – inform the referee together with the Vice-Main safety arbiter when, in their opinion, conditions are unsuitable for the competition, and make recommendations to change the route or the way the competition is held.

9.6. The starter shall:

• – be located so that he is clearly visible to all members;

• – give the start signal at the referee’ signal.

9.7. The chief timekeeper shall:

• – place the chronometer system along the entire route of the race;

• – ensure that made a synchronization of watches was made for all persons with the official watches 15 minutes before the start;

• – record all results of all participants;

• – provide free access to the results no later than 3 days after the competition.

9.8. The swim race arbiters shall:

• – constantly monitor the compliance with competition rules, record violations and report them to the Referee at the earliest opportunity;

• – carry out the full record of the information about the swimmer, including the distance he overcomes within an hour, manner of swimming, feeding time, etc.;

• – withdraw the swimmer out of the water at the end of the time limit by the referee’s order;

• – ensure that a swimmer is not taking advantage of fraudulent acts or shows unsportsmanlike conduct towards other swimmers.

9.9. Arbiters at the turning points shall:

• – be placed in such a way that would make it possible for them to monitor the implementation by all the swimmers of the turns along the distance, as indicated in the competition information documents and in accordance with the instructions;

• – record any violations of turns in the arbitrator’s form, and draw the attention of the swimming race arbiter to the violations;

• – deliver the signed arbitrator’s form to the Main Arbiter immediately after the end of the swimming race.

10. Copyright

Having passed the procedure of registration in the competition, all participants automatically allow the organizers and partners of the event to use and reproduce any audio, video and photo materials, containing images of the swimming race participants. These materials may be transferred to third parties without the consent of the participants. This action may be carried out in any time and operates on an international level.