Whats the difference between a sanctioned meet, an approved meet, and an observed meet?
In a sanctioned meet, all participants (including the meet director, athletes, coaches, officials, and clubs) must be members of USA Swimming, and the meet must be conducted under USA Swimming technical and administrative rules. All times achieved in a sanctioned meet will be recognized by USA Swimming for inclusion in the USA Swimming SWIMS database. In an approved meet, an athlete is not required to be a member of USA Swimming to participate in the meet. However, the meet is conducted under USA Swimming technical rules. Upon approval of the meet, all times will be recognized by USA Swimming, and the times for USA Swimming members are eligible for inclusion in the SWIMS database. In an observed meet, there are no requirements for USA Swimming athlete membership, and the meet is conducted under technical rules other than those of USA Swimming (for example, NFHS [high school] or NCAA rules). A request for observation of swims for compliance with USA Swimming rules must be made to the ho
In a sanctioned meet, all participants (including the meet director, athletes, coaches, officials, and clubs) must be members of USA Swimming, and the meet must be conducted under USA Swimming technical and administrative rules. All times achieved in a sanctioned meet will be recognized by USA Swimming for inclusion in the USA Swimming SWIMS times database. In an approved meet, an athlete is not required to be a member of USA Swimming to participate in the meet. However, the meet is conducted under USA Swimming technical rules. Upon approval of the meet, all times will be recognized by USA Swimming, and the times for USA Swimming members are eligible for inclusion in the SWIMS database. In an observed meet, there are no requirements for USA Swimming athlete membership, and the meet is conducted under technical rules other than those of USA Swimming (for example, high school or college rules). A request for observation of swims for compliance with USA Swimming rules must be made to the
