The ASA Handbook - Swimming.Org

Masters Swimming Section
MASTERS SWIMMING
MASTERS
Masters Swimming is competitive swimming for adults. From small beginnings in the 1970s and 1980s
this branch of aquatic sport has grown from a pastime for a few into a worldwide movement. The history
of Masters Swimming is brief. The first recorded meet was held in Amarillo, Texas, in May 1970, which
attracted 65 swimmers. Gradually the idea that you could swim after the age of 20 spread world wide.
FINA introduced a World Masters Swimming Championships meet in 1986, and Masters Swimming
formed a major part of the first World Masters Games, held in 1985.
The first masters meet in Great Britain was promoted by the Otter SC at the City University pool London,
in 1972. The first English (ASA) championships were held at York in 1981, and the first GB Masters
Championships were held at Port Talbot in 1987, the same year as the first LEN European Masters
Championship, held at Blackpool.
The general format of masters meets is similar the world over. Events are swum either as graded heats
(with swimmers arranged from slowest to fastest with no age consideration) or, in some major competitions,
in heats arranged by speed within age groups. Age groups are almost universally the standard fiveyear
groups starting from 25-29 years. Many competitions, including the ASA and British Swimming
Championships, incorporate younger age groups such as an 18-24 years ‘Senior’ group as well.
The concept of adult competition has also spread to other aquatic disciplines, with well-established
events in diving, open water swimming, water polo, and synchronised swimming.
Records are maintained for all standard events in both 25 and 50 metre formats, and annual top-ten ranking
lists are compiled on a British, European, and World basis. The standard of swimmers at the leading
edge of masters is extremely high, with some former internationals swimming faster than they did in their
elite days. But Masters is not confined to the former elite: participation, enjoyment, and health are the
three major planks of Masters Swimming.
Masters Swimming in England is promoted through the ASA Technical Masters Committee, which
reports to the Strategic Delivery Group for Health and Participation. Each ASA Region also has a Masters
Committee and a Masters secretary who between them promote Masters Swimming in the eight Regions.
Many, though not all, counties also promote competition within their county areas.
As well as staging the annual ASA Masters Championships the ASA Masters Committee also promotes
the postal ‘T-30 Challenge’ (formerly the Half Hour Swim competition) and the Inter-Counties
Competition. This last event is an interesting development as the overall result is obtained from the performances
achieved in four separate regional heats (the North East and North West Regions generally
swimming their heat together).
There were some 6900 ASA swimmers registered as Masters swimmers according to a 2006 survey conducted
as part of a national review of masters swimming.
There is also a Masters Committee within British Swimming. At British level there is a long course championship
normally held in June, and the Committee also oversees aspects of Masters swimming which
have a British dimension, including the maintenance of Masters record lists (including nominating British
performances for European and World records), a central Masters ranking list, the Masters Swimming
Decathlon competition, and the organization of a social event at World and European Masters
Championships.
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