How are swimmers who are out of time with each other penalised?
I · Intermediate · Judging and results · 5 of 7Every unequal action is counted and taken off the elements score: 0.1 of a point for a small error, 0.5 for an obvious one and 3.0 for a major one. Three synchronisation technical controllers on the deck do the counting. The deductions can take the elements score down to zero and no lower.
How it works
- What is counted: "synchronisation errors (unequal actions)" seen during the routine.
- Who counts: "three (3) Synchronisation Technical Controllers", seated on deck with a clear view of the pool.
- The values: small 0.1, obvious 0.5, major 3.0.
- Where it comes off: the sum of the errors, each multiplied by its value, is deducted from the elements score.
- The floor: the deduction "can reduce the Elements score to zero (0), but not to a negative Elements score".
- The guide: what makes an error small, obvious or major is set out in a scoring guide in the appendices.
- Video: the technical controllers may use video review. A major error needs two of the three to agree.
The glossary has the synchronisation error, the technical controllers and the elements score.
Tricky cases
Is a solo routine marked for synchronisation?
No, not against other swimmers. The clause on synchronisation errors appears in the rules for duets, teams, acrobatic routines and free combinations, and is absent from the two solo sections.
Can synchronisation errors make a score negative?
No. The elements score cannot go below zero.
Is one swimmer finishing a movement late a major error?
It depends on the scoring guide. The rules read for this page give the three values and leave the descriptions to the guide, which was not read.
Do the artistic impression judges also mark being together?
Yes, in part. Choreography and musicality includes "synchronisation with the music". The count of unequal actions between swimmers belongs to the technical controllers.
Why the rule exists
Counting each error and giving it a fixed price makes the deduction something that can be checked on video, which a single mark for being together could not be. A major error costs thirty times as much as a small one, so one swimmer badly out of step outweighs many small slips.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Duets, teams, acrobatic routines, free combinations | Small 0.1, obvious 0.5, major 3.0 | AS 18.2.14 and the same clause for each routine |
| Solo routines | No synchronisation clause | AS 18.1; AS 18.5 |
| Women's duet and team | A separate two-point penalty when required movements are not simultaneous and facing the same way | AS 18.2.12 |
From the rule book
World Aquatics, Competition Regulations, Part Seven: Artistic Swimming Rules (in force as from 1 January 2025), Articles 16.1, 16.1.2, 17.2.2, 18.2.14 and 19.1. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Aquatics Competition Regulations (PDF).