Para swimming words · Beginner

Swimming for athletes with an eligible impairment, governed by the International Paralympic Committee under the name World Para Swimming. The strokes are freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and individual medley, and athletes race in sport classes set by classification.

Long course is a 50 m pool and short course a 25 m pool. A swimmer needs a qualifying time from a 50 m pool to enter a long course competition, and may use a time from either size of pool to enter a short course one.

The prefix of a sport class shows the stroke. S is for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, SB for breaststroke and SM for individual medley. A swimmer therefore has a separate class number for breaststroke and the other strokes, and the medley class is worked out from the two.

The medley events are 200 m for SM5 to 14, 150 m for SM1 to 4, and in short course only 100 m for SM5 to 13 and 75 m for SM1 to 4. The 200 m and 100 m swim butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle, a quarter each. The 150 m and 75 m swim backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle, a third each.

The start for freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley when butterfly is first. On take your marks the swimmer places at least one foot at the front of the platform. The position of the hands does not matter.

Any style may be swum, except in medley where freestyle is anything other than the other strokes. Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall at each length and the finish. Standing on the bottom is not a disqualification, but the swimmer must not walk.

The swimmer starts in the water facing the start with both hands on the grips and swims on the back, with a roll of up to but not including 90 degrees allowed. At the turn the shoulders may pass over vertical to the breast and an immediate continuous arm pull may start the turn, but the swimmer must be back on the back when leaving the wall and must touch the wall on the back at the finish.

The body stays on the breast, with one arm stroke and one leg kick in that order and all movements of arms, and of legs, simultaneous. After the start and each turn there is one arm stroke back to the legs and one butterfly kick before the first breaststroke kick. The elbows stay under water except the last stroke before the turn, at the turn and the finish, and some part of the head must break the surface in each cycle.

The body stays on the breast, both arms come forward together over the water and go back together under it, and all leg movements are simultaneous up and down. A breaststroke kick is not allowed. After the start and each turn one or more kicks and one arm pull under the water must bring the swimmer to the surface.

A support staff member who taps a swimmer with a vision impairment as they near the end of the pool, with a single or double tap. Tapping is mandatory for every turn and finish in S/SB/SM11 and optional in other classes, and a tapper is needed at each end if tapping is needed at both. In relays the tapper may also tell the swimmer the changeover and the team's position, but may not coach.