About Officials

Ontario Swimming Officials Association (OSOA) is the only authority for swim officiating in the province of Ontario; as such, OSOA is responsible for policies and procedures for the conduct of Ontario swim meets, as well as training, development and evaluation of officials. To that end, the Association prepares and disseminates officials’ educational material. With the advent of the OSOA website some time ago, the sharing of this information was greatly improved.

Now the site has been upgraded to make it more attractive, more interesting, and easier to access. The content found here is provided by swimming officials for swimming officials.

Our aim is to ensure that the site is kept up to date, is interesting, educational, and positive.


The Role of OSOA

Swimming is a sport which is enjoyed around the world; competitive swimming adds an extra dimension to the enjoyment of participants, providing the opportunity to develop strength and physical and mental skills as the athletes strive for personal excellence. Athletes devote numerous hours to their training; coaches provide guidance, education and mentorship to allow each athlete to maximize his or her potential; officials provide the opportunity to measure the athletes’ progress towards their goals. Swimming is different from many competitive sports: the rules of swimming are applicable to all, from beginner to Olympic athlete. Ontario coaches make every attempt to teach their athletes the necessary skills; as officials we ensure that no athlete gains an unfair advantage, and each meets the technical requirements for the stroke performed.

Ontario officials are all volunteers; most of us became involved in officiating when our children began their competitive swimming career; many have stayed after their children are no longer competing because of a belief in the excellent values fostered by the sport. We, as members of the Ontario Swimming Officials Association (OSOA) are committed to continuing the standard of excellence in swimming officiating in this province, promoting efficiency and consistency.
Our swimmers need to learn how to perform; our officials need to learn how to accurately judge that performance in the best environment. This ranges from the ability to oversee the safety of the warm-up period, through manually timing a race, operation of an electronic timing system, skill in fair and consistent application of stroke and turn rules, proficiency in providing fair starts, and a number of other roles essential to prime competitive opportunities. The need for accurate timing is obvious: measurement of performance is the number one concern for competitors. Stroke and turn judging is also extremely important: coaches do their best to teach the stroke requirements, and as officials, we back up their efforts in a competitive setting, providing athletes and/or coaches with feedback on infractions. The ability to distinguish poor technique from illegal action is essential.

OSOA has developed, and continues to maintain, Powerpoint presentation clinics for all officiating positions enabling accurate and effective teaching of basic materials. These presentations are used in Regional clinic days, and at the club level; Senior officials either present or audit all clinics, ensuring complete coverage of material. Once the basic knowledge is in place, most officiating skills require considerable practice to develop; senior officials also share their expertise as they mentor “up and coming” officials on the pool deck, working in tandem as necessary, allowing “junior” officials to learn without disadvantaging the athletes. This close partnership allows identification of those most likely to become skilled in all areas of officiating; members of the OSOA board can then actively encourage these candidates to continue “up the ladder” to Senior and Master status, ensuring the continued level of excellence in officiating in this province.

OSOA also provides leadership for dissemination of new rules, rule changes, interpretation and application; Regional clinics, Regional meetings and other venues enable us to ensure that our officials, coaches and athletes are aware of changes, and the application recommended by the governing bodies (SNC and/or FINA). Information on rule changes, education, and minutes of meetings is circulated by the Regional representatives, and published on our website.