NFHS Rules Changes
2024 - 2025
Rules Changes
4-1-4: Removes the word "clerical" from the description of the official's authority over a meet through the completion of any reports that are responsive to actions occurring while the referee has jurisdiction.
Rationale: The referee will do what is necessary to ensure meet outcomes and related details are appropriate and accurate. The authority of the referee in this context is broad and is not limited to clerical authority only.
Comments: The meet referee is the head official and is responsible for a wide variety of tasks involving the technical rules of swimming and diving. The meet referee's authority begins at least 30 minutes prior to the contest and ends with the signing of the official scoresheet within one hour after the meet. However, this rule includes the expectation that the referee will correct any errors that may be discovered within 48 hours of the completion of competition. In order to avoid any confusion over the types of errors to be addressed, the term "clerical" has been eliminated. The understanding and expectation here is that the referee will do what is necessary to ensure that meet outcomes and related details are appropriate and accurate. The authority of the referee in this context is broad, and state associations may rely upon that official to mitigate such errors. This makes for a more efficient and effective process for fixing problems that may arise. State associations may intercede in the event of unusual incidents before, during and after the referee's jurisdiction has ended.
4-2-2e: Removes language that permits an announcement of a disqualification on the basis of a Rule 3-2-2 violation to be made by the public address announcer if the coach cannot be located.
Rationale: This change in language brings Rule 4-4-2e in line with notification protocols when violations of Rule 3-3-2 are detected. When the violation involves improper suit coverage, a public announcement is not appropriate.
Comments: Referee notification of violations to swimmers and/or coaches may be accomplished by several means, including public announcement (4-2-2d) if neither the competitor nor coach can be located without delaying the meet. When the violation involves improper suits, however, public announcement is not appropriate. The NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee has worked carefully over the past several years to ensure clear understanding of the expectation that any discussion of suit issues occurs ONLY between the referee and the coach. If there is a violation of Rule 3-3-2, the meet referee must contact the coach. The rule change addresses the context when PENALTY 2 of Rule 3-3-2 is invoked. If the meet referee determines an athlete is to be disqualified for violation of the suit coverage requirement of 3-3-2, the coach must be notified directly; no alternative method is permissible.
Editorial Changes
2-7-5 PENALTY, 3-2-2, 3-2-3, 3-3 NOTE, 3-6-1f, 4-1-8, 4-2-2, 5-1-3, 6-4-1b (2), 8-1-1, 8-1-2, 9-3-4, 9-4, APPENDIX A, APPENDIX B, APPENDIX C
Points of Emphasis
Athlete Well-Being - The NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee is particularly conscious of athlete safety, physical and mental well-being, and overall good health of high school students. With that in mind, the committee discussed at length the issue of photography behind the blocks. Guidelines for photographer access should be clearly defined prior to the swimming and diving event. It is recommended that state associations and event hosts consider the areas, and specifically the angles, for photography of swimmers and divers, and that appropriate and reasonable guidelines are established. Due to swimmer attire and the starting positions in the sport, media access in the starting area may not be appropriate. The committee addressed Rule 3-2-2 by adding language ensuring continued involvement of health-care professionals. Rule 3-3 was also edited to align language with current national trends in reference to individuals with disabilities and continuing encouragement of participation of those individuals in swimming and diving. And finally, the committee codified consistent language for all NFHS rules books prohibiting the use of alcohol, tobacco, and controlled or illicit substances by participants, team personnel, and officials, beginning with arrival at the competition site until departure following the completion of the contest. State associations are encouraged to continue examining additional ways to ensure student well-being within the framework of swimming and diving.
Electronic Devices - Swimming, like many other high school athletic endeavors, is significantly affected by continuing developments in technology. These developments, if not carefully monitored, have the potential to alter the nature of high school swimming and diving competition and drastically affect the competitive environment. Several factors should be kept in mind as the rules committee continues to evaluate the use of electronic devices by swimmers. Devices that collect and transmit data from the swimmer to an external recipient are permissible because they are potentially beneficial in terms of both athlete performance and well-being. Devices that provide information to the athlete during competition are not permitted and, when detected, result in severe penalties for both the competing athlete and team personnel. Detection of such devices is often difficult, and evaluation of performance often requires advanced technical knowledge. Officials should approach the enforcement of prohibitions on illegal devices with restraint and impose sanctions on team personnel only when it is abundantly clear that a device is being used improperly and is creating an unfair competitive advantage. State associations are empowered to address and regulate the use of electronic devices beyond those established by NFHS rules.
Risk Minimization - Backstroke Ledges - The NFHS serves as the national authority on competition rules while promoting fair play and seeking to minimize risk of injury for student participants in education-based high school athletic and activity programs. On an ongoing basis, the rules committee assesses and minimizes risks, to the extent consistent with the sound traditions of the sport. The NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee continues to evaluate information regarding the use of backstroke starting ledges and the development of this equipment. At present, there is a considerable lack of reliable data assessing the safety and risk-minimization issues surrounding the use of ledges. It is anticipated that the results of a study currently underway at DePauw University will be available next year for the rules committee to consider whether to permit such equipment to be used as part of the high school swimming competitive environment. The primary concern will be, of course, athlete safety. Additional factors that must be assessed include fiscal/budgetary constraints, impact upon the flow of competition resulting from the installation and removal of the devices for a specific event, and effects on competitive equity resulting from availability of the equipment.
