Swimming: Team Championships 2025

Thursday 10 April 2025 at 23:59 – Team Entry Deadline 

(Institution Administrator Deadline to submit a team on BUCS Play) 

Tuesday 22 April 2025 at 23:59 – Team Join/Individual Entry Deadline 

(Student Deadline to enter a team)

Thursday 24 April 2025 at 23:59 – Institution Administrator Approval  

(Institution Administrator Deadline to approve and allocate students to their team) 

This competition will NOT operate a staged entry process. As such, please ensure all entries are submitted through BUCS Play prior to the closing date listed above. 

Institutions can enter as many teams as they wish.  

Teams should be selected on merit and will be checked. 

For the avoidance of doubt, the swimmers in the first team should always be the fastest swimmers for each event. Each team thereafter selected on the same basis. 

Students must apply to the event and be allocated to the correct team by Thursday 24 April 2025 at 23:59.   

Any swimmers not applied for the team by the deadline will not be allowed to participate in the BUCS Swimming Team Championships 2025. No late additions or substitutions will be allowed. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you submit a maximum number of swimmers, including reserves, to allow for injuries etc.  

Teams will declare which members of their team are competing in each event on the day using a team sheet. A team sheet must be submitted for the qualifying heats and for finals for those who qualify. 

If an institution needs to withdraw any teams originally entered, you must notify Joe Gallimore by Friday 12 April 23:59 at the latest. 

SWI 9.1 Teams withdrawing two weeks or less before the Championships will be fined £300. 

SWI 9.2 Any team who does not attend the Championships without prior notice will be fined £500. 

SWI 9.3 No-shows or unauthorised withdrawals for the finals on day two, will be fined £750. 

The BUCS Team Championships 2025 are required to adhere to the Swim England Transgender policy. As such, the categories available shall be ‘Open’ and ‘Female’. For more information, please see the Swim England Transgender Policy.  

The Female category is for birth sex females in accordance with Swim England’s Transgender and Non-Binary Competition Policy. By entering the ‘Female’ category, a swimmer confirms that their birth sex is female. 

The BUCS category Open will be defined as Open/Male as is commonplace in all swimming events in the UK. 

The Swimming Team Championships will be a one-day event with the morning being qualification heats and the afternoon being the finals. The event will be swum in LC format. 

Exact timings for each day will be decided once entries have been received.  

All timings are approximate times based on 2024’s event: 

Registration ~ 07:30 

Qualification ~ 09:30 Start 

Finals ~ 14:30 Start 

Presentations ~ 18:00 

The order of events for each competition shall consist of the following events for open/male and females, with each competitor restricted to a maximum of three individual events per gala. 

4 x 50m Medley Relay  
100m Individual Medley  
100m Freestyle  
100m Butterfly  
100m Backstroke  
100m Breaststroke  
200m Freestyle  
50m Butterfly  
50m Backstroke  
50m Breaststroke  
50m Freestyle  
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay 

Teams will be seeded based on 2024 Results and overall ranking from the SC and LC events. 

Teams should also submit an entry time for their freestyle relay team for Open/Male and Female which may also be used to assist with seeding. 

For clarification on how points will be awarded, please refer to the rules & regulations.  

Championship 
The fastest 8 first teams from qualification heats, based on points/positions, will qualify for the Championship Final.  

Any Second Teams (or below) finishing in the top 8 teams in the Qualification Round will qualify for the Trophy Final. 

Trophy & Shield  
The Trophy and Shield Finals will consist of 8 teams each based on results from the qualification round. 

Teams finishing outside of the overall top 24 fastest times after qualification will not advance to the Finals.

All participating teams MUST provide a timekeeper equipped with a stopwatch for BOTH their Qualifying Round and Finals (if they have qualified). Points may be deducted from any teams failing to comply.

Timekeepers should then be declared on the team sheet at the event and must attend the timekeepers briefing. Timekeepers cannot be competing as part of the team.

Anyone wishing to take photos or video at this event must complete the BUCS Media Accreditation Form prior to the event.  

BUCS reserves the right to prohibit photography equipment being used at a BUCS event. BUCS reserves the right to request that the individual ceases to take photographs, deletes any images and, if considered necessary, leaves the venue.  

If you wish to take photos or videos at this event, please contact the BUCS Event Lead.

BUCS’ mission is to provide exceptional student sporting experiences that inspire, develop and unite.  

Critical to our success is our commitment to always providing safe, friendly and enjoyable environments for all participants. Whether competing, coaching, officiating, volunteering, working or spectating at these events, the welfare of all is critical to our mission.  

To find out more or report a concern, please click here.