About the Aida freediving rules

Precision of rules
The most trusted judges set the standard

Read below for new interpretations of the rules.

History of the SP rule
2005 Renens WC was one of the first time the 20 second SP was tried out. LMC was not suppose to be an issue any more – it was not even recorded in the result sheets. The LMC rule had divided the AIDA organization into two equally big groups, but even the fraction that wanted to keep LMC out of the sport understood that some kind of rule change was needed. Judging was too subjective and there was only one judge that claimed he had a razorsharp line between LMC and no LMC – Sebastien Nagel could spot a twich in the eye from 10 meters distance.

The SP was invented, partly because of strong lobbying from some Canadians (P.Scott and E. Fattah). Myself I tried to argue that the LMC rule was not good but useful if we could all agree on how a clear and visible LMC looked like.

Missed opportunity
So strong was the “hate” for the old LMC rule that after the new SP was enforced the board missed the opportunity to gather statistics on what DQ´s contained LMC. Now two years after the board in parts have begun to realize that this was a mistake..

Two years of pretending that there is no problem.
I have argued that the new SP rule still lacks precision. Different judges interpret it differently. During the Renens WC the group of judges did not bother to discuss how to set a similar standard in their judging.

Who decides when to grab an athlete?
Can one grab an athlete before he/she has failed the SP?
Where is the line between LMC and BO?
Can you rest your head on the ledge while doing SP?
How bad can an OK sign look before it is not an OK sign any more?
How many OK signs in what directions can you make them?

The judges who did not like LMC just continued to disqualify LMC athletes by having them grabbed “for their own safety”. A practice that is still going on in certain parts of the world. The argument is that getting water into your mouth might cause it to enter your lungs (we are still waiting for this to happen to anyone).

In order to get answers from the board or the technical committee on issues like these it is not as easy as to just ask them (as a judge on the judge list for instance (where the whole tech committee is listening)). After many months of questioning there came a paper from the board stating that there are some LMC´s that are actually BO´s and should be DQed.

In short, bounce your head more than once and it’s a “post mechanical BO movement”. As seen in ruling H.Larsen WC Maribor (protest and counterprotest) this is still a subjective ruling. But FAR less situations than with the old LMC – so maybe we can live with this subjectiveness.

After two years of SP there still is a confusion around the SP. So much that the group of judges at WC Maribor have to explain it to what should be the worlds most experienced athletes. And one ruling had to be protested twice before all parties “agreed” that there was a violation.

Who decides
There has also been a slight confusion lately about how the rules are changed/developed: is it the assembly? The board? The technical Committee? Or just Bill Stromberg the Aida president himself that sets the standards?
At informal forums as deeperblue Stromberg has claimed that waist lanyards will not be permitted at future WC´s. This is unclear if this was a personal invention or a board decision. Giving WC “wild cards” to last years top ten ranked seems to a personal decision from the President himself.

So when Stromberg starts defining rules at captain meetings at Maribor one might as well listen carefully (it might be an Aida decision). During the captains meeting we got directions on how to interpret several rules that has been somewhat obscure for a long time without actions from the board.
How the judges judge at a WC should in my point of view be carefully watched and analyzed since these are the most trusted judges in the world (assembly votes). The WC sets the standards and one might even call the judge decisions here precendential.
So when the judges in WC Hurghada started delivering red cards in for early warm-up. I found this disturbing, since it was a new practice. Not the rule itself but the surprising change in using the rule forcefully. The rules says it is not allowed to warm-up before 45 minutes to top. But it does not state the penalty. One of the judges explained later the situation like this: "In a situation with limited warmup lines and more importantly limited safety divers for warmup lines if athletes begin warming up early it can easily over stretch the support staff and unfairly impact other athletes...//...The performances were allowed to continue in hopes any performances might still be valid for national records."

It´s all in the rules?
Bill Stromberg recently claimed that “It does not say in the rules YOU HAVE TO announce the result of a performance directly afterwards”. Thus defending the two judges decision (and the board?) who withheld the result of the Nitsch No-limit record for two days (and then was part of a charade pretending to judge an athlete in front of cameras).

So whatever is NOT STATED in the rules gives judges free interpretation? A rather disturbing statement, which could rule out “common sense” and open up for all kinds of weird malpractices.

Clear decisions
Therefore it is very pleasing to hear some clear and precise decisions on how to interpret rules from the Aida president at the captains meeting at WC Maribor. We can assume that the following is regarded as “rules” from now on:

1) In a pool with a ledge, the judges will deduct the exact missing centimetres from you overall result. So in Maribor, if you do not touch above the ledge and “claim” the full distance of the pool you will only get a deduction of 12 centimetres and no other penalties (the total length is as usual rounded of downwards to the closest meter at the end).

2) You may put one hand on the bottom at turns. But if done twice in a row it will be considered propelling along the bottom, as will touching the bottom before surfacing. But an overweigthed athlete pushing of the bottom will not be considered pulling himself along the bottom (but again pushing is not permitted as means of surfacing).

3) You may swim outside your lane as long as you do not disturb any other athlete and as long as you return to your lane before surfacing.

4) Only one coach per athlete is allowed in the judge zone (usualy the whole area of the pools edge). But it is not a right – in the finals there are no room for coaches. Other athletes may after their performance act as coaches in the same heat (like shouting good advice).

5) You may make an OK sign and say “I am OK” SIMULTANESOUSLY. Benefit of doubt will go to you.

6) A BO in a Final will still give you 8th position (or 16th in the B finals).

7) An athlete may mark his lane with signs at the bottom at certain distances.

Then there were some not so precise statements.

8) In DYN it is enough to touch the wall behind you “at some point during the countdown”. Unclear if this means the 2 minute or the last 10 sec countdown, or even the post TOP countdown. Later this was clarified: as you start you must touch the wall.

9) If you enter the water before your 45 minute before top period “it is highly possible” you might get a red card. Which means: It is still possible for a judge to be more friendly to certain athletes and not others.

10) If your hand touches a line before your airways submerge in DYN/DNF – it does not necessarily mean you are pulling (which is forbidden in the rules). If the line does not look like its got weight on it the athlete might not be pulling (see Stig S protest and counter protest) The athlete might just be holding his hand there or gliding along the pool line.