Swimming & Para Swimming: Short Course Championships 2023-24

REJECTED ENTRIES 

Please refer to the BUCS Short Course Swimming webpage for the lists of ‘Rejected Entries’ to check if any entries have been rejected. 

Note that any swimmers entering times outside of consideration entry times in that event will have been rejected at point of entry. This is the same for any entries by Para Swimmers in Non-Para Events that are outside of the general consideration times.

The event has had unprecedented entries and is oversubscribed. Unfortunately, it has been necessary to cut some entries on a session-by-session basis. 

Please also note that all relay teams over 2nd teams have sadly had to be cut on this occasion.
 

RESERVE LIST – 800 & 1500m Events

Swimmers can be called up from the reserve list for these events up until 16:00 on Thursday 16 November 2023. Where possible, BUCS will contact the Athletic Union to advise if swimmers have been moved up from the reserve list.
 

ACCEPTED/DRAFT ENTRIES

Please check the draft entry lists IMMEDIATELY to ensure that everything is as expected for you/your team, these can be accessed here. 

Please advise any queries IMMEDIATELY, DO NOT LEAVE UNTIL THE EVENT as changes cannot be made at that point. Athletic Unions should email changes to [email protected]

Note that changes to times/addition of SE No etc. will incur a £10 admin charge.

WITHDRAWALS 
Once a swimmer is entered via BUCS Play and is accepted as per the draft entries, it is assumed they are swimming unless a team representative officially withdraws them. 
Withdrawal forms must be used and are available here.
 

Pre-Event Withdrawals (up to 16:00 Thursday 16 Nov)
You must withdraw any swimmers not participating in the entire event or any specific events ASAP. 

To withdraw swimmers prior to the event a withdrawal form must be completed and emailed to [email protected] with [email protected] CC’d in by 16:00 on Thursday 16 November 2023 by your Athletic Union. 
 

Note that ALL WITHDRAWALS FROM FRIDAY’S HEAT SESSIONS MUST BE MADE BY 16:00 on 16 November 2023.

At Event Withdrawals – (Post 16:00 Thurs 16 Nov)
Withdrawals thereafter can only be made at the BUCS Help Desk in person at the event or by phoning 07913419397.

Session By Session Withdrawal Deadlines are as follows: 
For Day 1 Friday 17 November – 16:00 Thursday 16 November 2023
For Day 2 Saturday 18 November – 12:00 Friday 17 November 2023
For Day 3 Sunday 19 November – 12:00 Saturday 18 November 2023
Finals - within 30 mins of the published result.

Note: If there is an empty lane due to the no-show of a finalist who has not withdrawn then the nonshowing finalists will be fined. If a reserve fails to report and has not withdrawn and is required to swim (resulting in an empty lane) then the reserve swimmer will be fined. 
Competitors failing to withdraw from an event by the given deadlines will be liable to a fine

FINES

*This may be increased to an Inappropriate Behaviour Fine at the discretion of the Meet Director and BUCS staff depending on the severity of the offence and whether proof of achieving the qualifying time in the previous 12 months can be supplied.

Please note you will only be able to request substitute swimmers for other swimmers who become unable to swim their event(s) after the closing date if they are a named swimmer from your accepted submitted entries. Substitutions are only accepted until 17:00 TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2023, after which only medical substitutions are permitted if accompanied by a medical note.  (This deadline has been extended from Friday 10 November 2023 due to the delay in publication of this 
information)

Each day the fastest 4 heats will be swum for all events en-bloc in a fastest heats session, this will be followed by a second session of the remaining heats.

HDW Events - Note where an event is HDW the fastest heat will be swum in the finals session and the slower heats swum in the relevant heat session.

On Friday all events will be swum in the North Pool only.

On Saturday and Sunday all heats will be swum back-to-back across two pools.

North Pool – Open & South Pool – Female. 
(Backstroke ledges will not be used for heats – they will be used for finals only.)

Those students listed as your relay team(s) on BUCS Play at the point of entry are not your declared team, but if you wish to use any other swimmer at the Championships they MUST have been listed on your entries made on BUCS Play. 

Institutions will be provided the relevant number and types of relay declaration forms for the teams they have entered in the Championships. Once completed, relay declaration forms must be handed in to the staff on the BUCS Help Desk in the Omega Suite and the staff member who receives the form will sign, date, tear-off and return to the team representative a receipt slip of their submission. 

Heat Declarations
Relay declaration forms for heats are required to be submitted at least ONE hour before the beginning of the respective session. These declarations will then be automatically carried forward for the finals if a team progresses. 

Final Declarations
You may wish to change your team for the final. To do this you must go to the BUCS Help Desk and request and submit a new declaration form at least ONE hour before the beginning of the respective final’s session and earlier if possible please. Note: If a new team declaration form is not submitted on time for the finals, then the same team and order as the heats must be maintained. 

The relay finals do not have to be made up of swimmers who swam in the relay heats. However, please note that no movement is permitted between 1st, 2nd and 3rd relay teams etc. – each set of swimmers must remain in their respective relay team for heats and finals, i.e., if you swim in the 1st team for the heats you cannot swim in the 2nd team for the finals and vice versa. If you are unsure, please ask at the BUCS desk. 

Teams failing to correctly submit a form will not be permitted to participate and teams failing to submit a form detailing the correct order of swimmers will be disqualified from the event.

Each institution must collect a ‘Team Pack’ from the BUCS Help Desk by 11:15 on Friday 17
November 2023. 

A representative from each institution must attend the Technical Briefing at 11:15 on Friday 17 November 2023 in the Diving Officials Room. This representative will need to ensure they have collected their ‘Team Pack’ prior to the briefing, which includes copies of the Relay Declaration Forms (where applicable) and Heats Withdrawal Forms for their institution.

This event is operating a clear deck policy and asks all teams to sit upstairs on either side of the pool please. Coaches and Team Managers may work poolside as required.

Team-mates may support in the finals session on poolside but should ensure adequate space is left for marshalling and officials.

Warm Ups are split as per the schedule. Ponds Forge has strict warm up restrictions. To comply with these, we have a strict warm up schedule which must be complied with. 
Diving Pit - The diving pit will be available for training, warm up and swim down as per the schedule from first thing each morning until post finals. 

Para Warm Up Lane – Lane 6, the lane closest to the diving boards in the diving pit is assigned to para swimmers throughout the event. 

No fins or paddles are permitted in the warm ups. They may be permitted in the diving pit at quieter times at the discretion of the lifeguards whose instructions MUST be followed.

The top 10 swimmers/teams will advance to A finals following the heats and where there are B finals these will be made up of swimmers/teams ranked 11-20 from the heats. 

There will be no B Final for the Women’s 200 Butterfly due to there being less than 40 entrants.

Finalists must report to the marshal outside the Diving Officials Room, failure to do so may result in a reserve being permitted to swim.

All finalists (including reserves) are expected to either report for their finals or withdraw (within 30 minutes of the result being published) from the event if they do not wish to participate. 

Reserve finalists: Only 2 reserves per final will be called up should there be withdrawals. Where any reserves are called up a reasonable effort will be made to announce this and notify the swimmer(s), but swimmers are encouraged to check at the BUCS Help Desk. All reserve finalists should report to the Finals Marshall at the end of the final session warm up who will advise if they are required to swim or stand them down. 

Final fines: If there is an empty lane due to the no-show of a finalist who has not withdrawn then the non-showing finalists will be fined. If a reserve fails to report and has not withdrawn and is required to swim (resulting in an empty lane) then the reserve swimmer will be fined.

BUCS medals will be awarded to the first 3 individuals/teams in each event from A finals only. 
Trophies will be awarded to:
Top Overall Institution (calculated using Swimming Event Points)
Top Open and Women’s Teams (calculated using Swimming Events Points)
Top Open and Female Performances (calculated using FINA Points)
Top Open and Female Para-Swimming Performances (calculated using British Para-Swimming Points). 
Medal Ceremonies will take place en-bloc in event order immediately after each final’s session.
Universities are expected to send a representative if the medallist is unavailable. Ceremonies will 
proceed with a min of 2 swimmers but where only 1 swimmer attends this will be at the discretion of 
the swimmer.

Para Swimming Ceremonies and Deaf Swimming Ceremonies where events meet the criteria will take 
place immediately after the conclusion of the Finals Sessions on Friday and Saturday and ASAP after 
the conclusion of the Heats Sessions on Sunday.
All medal and award winners are expected to report immediately to the ceremonies area after the 
conclusion of the finals and be wearing clothing/team kit when receiving awards (minimum of shorts 
and t-shirts). 

The following list (in line with events currently being swum in Great Britain for Para-Swimmers) are recognised events for para-swimmers, as such, eligible entrants in these events can (subject to competitor numbers) earn BUCS Points, BUCS Medals and Swimming Event Points, as part of multiclassification extracted results using British Para-Swimming Points.

A secondary strobe light will be available for athletes with a hearing impairment.
If you have any specific requirements for competing, E.g., Strobe Lights, use of ‘tappers’ etc. please advise Joseph Gallimore.

Any para-swimmers requiring the use of tapping devices, blackened goggles or starting devices MUST have these signed off at the Technical Briefing at 11:30 on Friday 17 November 2023, for them to be used during the Championships.

BUCS will require proof of classification status from the individual. Swimmers MUST bring evidence with them to the Championships and present it to the Lead Referee if requested. Swimmers can download and print the required information from here: 
Swim England/Swim Wales Membership Check
Scottish Swimming (SASA) Membership Check 
World Para Swimming Rules and Regulations

This Short Course event is World Para Swimming approved. However, in line with World Para Swimming Rules and Regulations (Regulation 10.17) any World Record swims will not be recognised at BUCS Short Course Swimming Championships. 

PARA SWIMMER RESULTS (Para Swimming Points)
Swimmers in each recognised event listed above shall have their results ranked based on a multiclassification basis using British Para-swimming Points. The following rules shall apply: 
1. There needs to be 2 or more eligible swimmers that participate in a specific event to constitute a race and for BUCS Points, BUCS Medals or Swimming Event Points to be awarded. The 2 or more swimmers participating do NOT need to be of the same classification. 
2. To be eligible you need to have a confirmed classification for para-swimmers and be in 
recognised event (as listed above) 
3. To win BUCS Points, a BUCS Medal or Swimming Event Points for your institution you must have beaten a swimmer who also has an eligible classification for that recognised event. For example, if only an S4 and an S7 enter the 50m Backstroke, no points or medals can be awarded. If an S4, an S8 an S9 and an S11 enter the 400m Freestyle, points and medals will be awarded for 1st and 2nd place only as the S4 is ineligible for that discipline. 
4. In each event, only the fastest para-swimmer from each institution can score Swimming Event Points. Additionally, only up to the fastest 2 para-swimmers from the same institution in each event can win a BUCS Medal or BUCS Points. E.g., if 3 para-swimmers from the same institution finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd, only the top 2 would receive BUCS Medals and Points. Points and medals will be awarded regardless of whether a non-disabled athlete from the same institution is awarded in the equivalent event. 

BUCS points will be awarded to the top 4 swimmers/teams for eligible events, however, please note that only the top 2 swimmers from each institution, or 1 team per institution for relay events, will be eligible for BUCS points. Therefore, if there are not enough eligible swimmers/teams in the top 4 to earn the points, then the remaining points will be awarded to the next best eligible swimmers/teams based on the rest of the A Final results, B Final results and/or the heat results as required. 

In the case of HDW events (400m Individual Medley, 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle, 1500m Freestyle), institutions can have more than 2 swimmers entered, but would not be able to achieve more than 2 sets of BUCS Points, and only 1 set of Swimming Event Points. 
For BUCS Points awarded to para-athletes please see Appendix 1. 
 

Deaf Swimmer Points (S15) - Deaf swimmers will only be eligible for Swimming Event Points in the 50m Butterfly, but these will only be awarded to the fastest S15 Swimmer. 
 

SWIMMING EVENT POINTS (NOT BUCS POINTS) 
In each event only the fastest individual/team from each institution will score points.
For clarity, where there is more than one A or B finalist from the same institution only the highest ranked swimmer/team will score points. 
 

Individual Events - Individual events will be scored by 1st place being awarded 20 points, 2nd place 19 
points, continuing with a decreasing points scale for subsequent ranked placings in the order of 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12 etc. down to 1 point. Points are awarded to the highest ranked swimmers from each different institution based on their finishing position 1-20. 
EG University A’s 1st ranked swimmer wins and they receive 20 points, University A’s 2nd ranked swimmer finishes 2nd, they receive no points, University B’s 1st ranked swimmer finishes 3rd, they receive 18 points and this process continues until the top 20 places have been considered for points. 

Relay Events – Relay events will score double points with 1st place being awarded 40 points, 2nd place 38 points, continuing with a decreasing points scale for subsequent ranked placings in the order of 36, 34, 32, 30, 28, etc. down to 2 points for 20th. Points are awarded based on the highest ranked team from each different institution based on their finishing position 1-20. 

EG University A’s 1st ranked team wins and they receive 40 points, University A’s 2nd ranked team finishes 2nd they receive no points, University B’s 1st ranked team finishes 3rd so they receive 36 points and this process continues until the top 20 places have been considered for points. 

It has been noted that in previous years teams have experienced difficulties in travelling to Sheffield due to heavy pre-weekend traffic on the roads. Please ensure that your team leaves plenty of time to travel to the venue. 

Please note that Sheffield have introduced a Clean Air Zone in the city centre and therefore charges may apply when driving to and around Sheffield over the course of the weekend.
If you are delayed, please contact us to arrange any relay declarations and/or withdrawals by phoning 07913419397.

New Balance
As BUCS’ kit provider, New Balance are giving you as BUCS athletes the chance to access a range of bespoke and personalised kit. To purchase this new range, head to bucs-shop.com.
 

AmeriCamp
AmeriCamp is offering BUCS athletes the summer of a lifetime, providing you with the opportunity to earn a minimum of $2000 working at a summer camp in the USA, using the skills and experiences gained from your sporting background. To find out more and apply, head to americamp.co.uk/bucs.
 

Add-Victor
add-victor is a free careers platform for high-achieving Student-Athletes!
Athletes create their own “shop-window”, access unique job opportunities across various sectors and develop their employability through “Knowledge Hub” resources, blogs & workshops, as well as having access to career support/guidance from specialist athlete Associates.

The Championships are held under the BUCS Swimming Regulations, which stipulate that all Swimming Championships are held under BUCS General Regulations, Swim England Laws, World Aquatics Rules of Swimming and World Para Swimming Rules and Regulations.

Parking is available at ‘Q-Park Castlegate’ Car Park (S1 2BQ) which is less than a 5-minute walk to Ponds Forge. The prices are outlined below, but there is a 2.00m height restriction in this car park to make note of for anyone bringing vans or minibuses to the event. You can validate your ticket at ponds forge for a reduced fee at this car park. 

If you are bringing a larger vehicle, then you may be interested in a couple of the following car parks that have no height restrictions; Sidney Street (S1 4RG) and Matilda Street (S1 4QW), both of which are about a 10-15 minute walk to Ponds Forge. 

The sustainability of our event matters to us and these are the positive steps we are taking to manage our environmental impact:

• All staff and volunteers are encouraged to travel to the event via public transport
• We have used local suppliers where possible
• Event programmes are all online, minimising paper use
• We will print on demand merchandise

How can you help at this event? Here’s some ideas:

• Be self-sufficient by using refillable bottles and coffee cups to reduce waste
• Travel smarter – as a team on a minibus, cycle or use public transport
• Go paperless - use your phone for all event information