How does the scoring system in swimming work at the Olympics?

To first understand how the scoring system works in swimming, we must take a look at the rules and what can result in disqualification.

Rules of swimming

In order to provide fair conditions of competition to every individual taking part and with the goal of promoting uniformity, swimmers must adhere to a set of technical rules during their events. All the four swimming strokes have particular and specific rules designed to make sure that no individual gets an unfair advantage.

Highly trained officials constantly monitor the swimmers during each event in order to ensure that they stick to the set of rules. Failure to do so can lead to a disqualification which means that the swimmer will not receive an official time in that event and won't receive any medals even if they finish first.

Disqualifications may result from several actions such as false starting and unsportsmanlike conduct. We'll take a look at the technical violations that can lead to disqualifications below:

What can lead to disqualifications in swimming?

Freestyle: If a swimmer is found stepping or walking on the bottom of the pool or pulling on the lane rope, he or she can be disqualified. Swimmers can also be disqualified for not touching the wall on a turn, or not completing the entire distance.

Backstroke: The backstroke requires swimmers to be on their back the entire time except when turning and not doing so can result in disqualification. Pulling or kicking into the wall once turning past the vertical onto the breast or turning onto the breast before touching the wall with the hand at the finish of the race will also result in disqualification.

Breaststroke: Not swimming on the breast or an illegal kick such as flutter, dolphin, or scissors can lead to disqualification here. Non-simultaneous movement of the arms along with taking two arm strokes or two leg kicks while underwater can also result in disqualification. Touching with only just a single hand at the turns or finish instead of using both hands can also end up in a swimmer getting disqualified.

Butterfly: Non-simultaneous movement of the arms or legs can also end up in a disqualification here. Using a kick style that is similar to breaststroke or touching with only one hand at the turns or the finish instead of both the hands can also lead to the swimmer's disqualification.

There are several swimming officials who make sure that the rules are strictly followed during an event. Starters ensure a safe and fair start for all the swimmers and Timekeepers are used when a venue doesn't have an automated timing system and they are tasked with providing the official times for the competitor in the assigned lane. Inspector of turns ensures that the swimmers follow the rules at the start while turning and during the finish. Judges of Stroke determine whether swimmers are following the technical rules for their specific strokes and Finish Judges determine the order of finish.

Now that you know the rules and what can lead to disqualification, let's talk about how scoring is done in swimming.

Scoring in Swimming

In the swimming pool, success is defined in terms of time and places instead of points or goals.

Races begin with the sounding of electronic pistols which are sounded again in case of a false start. In every race, the swimmer must follow the specific technical rules and reach the finish line at the fastest possible time. A pressure pad at the end of the lane stops the clock when the swimmer reaches the finish line.

The swimmers that took the least time to cover the same distance end up winning the given event!