Question

A swimmer swims under water at the beginning of the race for more than 10 metres. What will be the decision of the judge?

Answer 1

If the swimmer is underwater more than 10 metres at the start, that by itself is not a violation swimmers are permitted to stay submerged up to the 15‑metre mark after the start/turn.

A judge would only penalise (disqualify) the swimmer if they remain underwater past the allowed limit (i.e., beyond 15 m) or otherwise violate a stroke‑specific rule. For example, in breaststroke the swimmer’s head must break the surface on the first stroke after the pull‑down, so failure to do that would be a breach.