GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How is an official swimming time determined when automatic timing or a watch fails?
Under the World Aquatics Competition Regulations, Version February 2026, automatic times and placings take precedence when automatic timing is used and the Control Room Supervisor confirms there was no malfunction. If automatic data are missing for some athletes, the referee combines available sources while preserving the relative order of athletes with valid automatic time-and-place records. The two-watch averaging rule applies only when neither automatic nor semi-automatic equipment is used.
For Swimming fans and meet-result readers interpreting a timing-equipment failure or a backup official time. · Updated
Functioning automatic data take precedence
Under Article 11.1.3, times recorded and placings determined by Automatic Officiating Equipment are presumed accurate and take precedence over Timekeeper and Finish Judge results. The Control Room Supervisor confirms to the Referee that the equipment did not malfunction, break down, or fail during the race.
A partial failure is handled from the available records
If automatic equipment misses an athlete’s time or place, the Referee collates available automatic, Timekeeper, and, when appointed, Finish Judge results. Athletes with both an automatic time and place keep their relative order against other athletes with both. If an automatic time exists without a place, it is compared with the automatic times and places that were recorded; if neither exists, a semi-automatic or Timekeeper time is compared with those records.
- An automatic time that was recorded remains that athlete’s official time. A missing automatic time is replaced by the semi-automatic or Timekeeper time specified in Article 11.1.7.
Two-watch averaging is a separate fallback
The manual procedure applies when neither Automatic nor Semi-Automatic Officiating Equipment is used. If two approved watches differ, their times are averaged. When the average contains thousandths, the final digit is omitted; the result is not rounded up or down. If one watch fails, the working watch supplies the official time. If both fail, a reswim may be offered.
A fictional timing failure and a separate watch-only race
In a fictional race, Swimmer A has no automatic time or place while Swimmers B and C retain valid automatic times and places. The Referee uses the backup record for A and preserves the relative order established by B’s and C’s valid automatic records; this example does not invent a final order. In a separate race with no automatic or semi-automatic equipment, two approved watches read 26.32 and 26.35 seconds. Their average is 26.335, so the thousandths digit is omitted and the recorded time is 26.33, not 26.34.
Related questions
Does one failed automatic lane invalidate the other automatic results?
No. The rules preserve the relative order of athletes whose automatic time and place were recorded, while using specified backup records for missing data.
Is a two-watch average of 26.335 rounded to 26.34?
No. Under Article 11.2.3.1, the thousandths digit is omitted without rounding, so 26.335 is recorded as 26.33.