REGISTRATION

Applicants
must submit their entries only via the website. No individual/group is
authorized to collect entries on behalf of The Goa Swimathon.
Registrations close on 12th March 2022 or till all available slots are
filled, whichever comes first.

Eligibility criteria for participation in The Goa Swimathon 2022:

• Full vaccination status against (COVID-19) i.e., minimum two doses of the vaccine to be completed by 12th March 2022
• The
  minimum age limit for participation in the event is 15 years of age as
  of 31/01/2022. In view of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, those below
  the age limit are not eligible for this event for safety reasons due to
  their unvaccinated status and hence at higher risk in contracting a
  severe form of the disease. Anyone under the age of 18 years requires
  the event indemnity form to be signed by a parent/guardian. If the
  parents are unable to attend the event, the chosen guardian must
  provide a signed letter of authority from the parents of the athlete,
  along with photo ID proof of the parent and the guardian
  attached. Failure to provide the above mentioned documents will result
  in immediate disqualification of the athlete from the event. (Download
  format of the letter of authority for guardian HERE).
• Participants of the 4 km must provide previous OPEN WATER SEA SWIMMING certificate
  of at least 1.5 km. Those without previous certificates will not be
  allowed to participate and the registration will be rejected with no
  refund of registration fees.

Each participant may take part in ONLY one swimathon race.

Athlete categories:
All categories are gender segregated and open for any athlete within
the specified age limit for the respective race and fulfilling
eligibility criteria. Three men’s and three women’s winners will be
declared in the age group category for each race. Winners will receive
trophies only.

Participation
in the event is subject to entry confirmation via email to the address
provided in the registration form. Confirmed athlete’s identity and
proof of age will be verified with the details provided in the
registration form. Where any information and/or any document provided by
a participant at any point in time prior to the race is found to be
falsified, participation of the said athlete shall be withheld for a
period of 14 days until a reasonable explanation for the same can be
provided by the athlete. If the athlete is unable to provide a
reasonable explanation within the 14 day period, the registration will
be cancelled with no refund of registration fees.

Kindly
note in the event of an error made by the athlete in the registration
form or during the registration process, if the same is intimated via
email within 24 hrs, the entire entry fee will be refunded (excluding
minimum processing charges of 4.5%). Any intimation after 24 hrs, will
incur a deduction of Rs 500 from the total registration amount as
processing charges.

Requests to
switch between races will be entertained till 10th March 2022 and must
be submitted via e-mail ONLY. Kindly note that switching to a longer
distance race will require the difference in registration cost to be
paid via bank transfer. There will be no refund of the difference in
registration cost when switching to a shorter distance race after 28th
February 2022. All requests submitted after 28th February 2022 will
incur a convenience fee of Rs 300 per registration to process the
same.  

Withdrawal requests must
be received through the withdrawal form on the website during the
following time frames in order to be eligible for a partial refund:

5th February 2022 - 28th February 2022 : 50% refund of the entry fee

1st March 2022 - 12th March 2022      : 25% refund of the entry fee

13th March 2022 onwards                    : No refund

in
the unfortunate circumstance of event cancellation by Enduro Sports Goa
due unavoidable circumstances including but not restricted to
government restrictions for COVID-19, refund of registrations will be as
follows:

Prior to 13th March 2022 : 80% refund of entry fee

13th March 2022 and onwards : 50% refund of entry fee

Refunds
will be carried out via bank transfer/UPI (details to be mentioned in
the withdrawal form). The refund process may take upto 14 working days.

The
registration form and the right to participate in the event and the
rights and benefits available to the participant is at the sole
discretion of Enduro Sports Goa.  The actual participant alone shall be
entitled to the rights and benefits arising out of such confirmation of
participation. The registration cannot be transferred to any other person or event unless approved of in writing by Enduro Sports Goa.
Requests to transfer the registration to another eligible person will
be entertained till 10th March 2022, must be submitted via e-mail ONLY
and will incur a convenience fee of Rs 300 per registration to process
the same.  

REPORTING AND RACE KIT COLLECTION

All
participants are required to arrive within the specified reporting
time, failing which they will not be allowed to participate in the race.

It is mandatory for
participant to collect his/her race kit personally during the scheduled
times. Make sure you know your race number before coming to pick up
your kit. You will need to check and confirm your data. Race kit pick-up
will be available only on race day. Swimmers who have not picked up
their race kit within the specified times will not be allowed to
participate in the race.

Swimmer must carry with him/her:

• Photo ID proof
• In
  case of a minor (< 18 years of age), a parent or guardian will
  require to provide ID proof as well. Guardians will need to hand over
  the authorization letter as mentioned previously.
• Printed and signed copy of the race indemnity form

Failure to comply with the above rules for race kit collection will result in immediate disqualification.

Each
swimmer will be marked with his/her unique race number on the arm at
the time of kit collection. The swimmer wristband will identify you as
an official swimmer and must be worn on race day. The wristband allows
you access to the race kit pick-up, swimmer refreshments and breakfast
counters. Please do not remove your wristband until after the event.

For
security reasons, swimmers are requested to come to the race without
any baggage. It is strongly recommended that you do not leave valuables
like mobile phone, camera, jewellery, watch, electronic gadgets, etc. in
the bag stored. A luggage deposit area will be available at the event
venue, which will require all bags to be signed in and signed out by
swimmers. Organizers however, are not responsible for any loss of
baggage and/or its belongings.

RACE FINISH, TIMINGS AND RESULTS

Swimmers
are to participate only in the race category for which they had applied
and for which their entry has been confirmed. The entry and timing band
are not transferable to any other person under any circumstance unless
authorised by Enduro Sports Goa.

Timing:

All the races will be electronically timed by Alpha Racing Solutions. Swimmers will receive in their race kit:

• Wrist band (water proof)
• Official event swimming cap (wearing of the swimming cap is compulsory – failure to do so will lead to disqualification)

The turn around boats for 1 km, 2 km and 4km events will have antennas installed on them. The swimmers MUST pass
close to the boats (not more than 5 feet) and raise their left hand
once they are close to the antenna so as to ensure a proper reading.
They are required to do this each time they pass the turn around boats.

Every
swimmer is required to wear their timing tag at all times during the
race. Swimmers found to have interchanged their timing tag with another
individual, will be disqualified from the event and shall not be
allowed to apply or participate in subsequent editions of the event.
Please note if the timing tag is not worn as instructed, the swimmer
will not receive an official finish time and e-certificate.

Loss of the timing band prior to the race by the swimmer will lead to disqualification. No requests for duplicate/new bands will be entertained.

Race finish:

The
race will be won by the swimmer who has the shortest time from the
start signal to the moment when the swimmer finishes the race. The
official results will list the swimmers according to their finish time.
Medals will be given to all swimmers who complete the course.
E-certificates will be given to all swimmers who successfully complete
the course within the cut-off timings.

There
are specific finish cut-off timings for each race. Results will be
official once the Head Referee signs them. Incomplete results can be
declared official at any time; and results will include the following:

1. Swimmers who do not finish the competition (DNF)
2. Not making the cut-off time (DNQ)
3. Those who are disqualified (DQ)
4. Swimmers which did not start (DNS)

*
Final results will be listed for DNQ swimmers – however, they will
receive participation certificates only. DNF swimmers will be listed on
the result page as DNF. For DQ swimmers, the final results will not be
displayed.

Provisional
timings will be sent to each swimmer via SMS within 30 minutes of
completion of the race. Provisional timings will be available on the
Enduro Sports Goa website (www.endurosportsgoa.com) 48 hrs after
completion of the race. Any protests/appeals will need to be submitted
via email ONLY to endurosportsgoa@gmail.com within
48 hrs of online display of provisional timings. No protests/appeals
will be accepted after this time period. The decision of the Race
Director and the Head Referee shall be final and binding.

RACE COURSE

The
start is a mass start and swimmers are advised to place themselves
according to their realistic swim times. Those who swim slower should
stay towards the back of the line-up. DO NOT enter and begin the
swim from any other point - failure to follow these instructions will
lead to disqualification. The competition is land start and land finish
type.

Organizers reserve the
right to change the said course at any time, this may arise due to
construction activity, security and safety reasons, non-compliance from
government authorities or any other reasons the organizers deem fit.

Trash
bins will be set-up on the beach and will be available on the boats.
Bottles, wrappers etc. are to be disposed in the trash bins only and are
not to be discarded on the beach or water. Enduro Sports Goa has a
strict litter free policy and any participant found littering by a race
official will be time penalised by an addition of 10 minutes to their
final swim time.

Obey
lifeguard (Drishti Marine) instructions completely and immediately.
Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification. Any
participant who is deemed unfit to continue the race by the lifeguards
or the race officials will be brought back to the shore. Failure to
comply will lead to immediate disqualification and such a participant
will not be allowed to apply or participate in subsequent editions of
the event.

Every swimmer is
responsible for his/her safety and will inform the organizers if they
have any pre-existing problems that could be dangerous in the sea. 

Swimmers to ensure adequate hydration at all times.

The swim course will be clearly marked and identified with swim buoys. 

Head-up swimming only allowed (no prolonged underwater glides).

All
swimmers shall maintain the spirit of sport and refrain from pushing
and shoving other swimmers either at the start, the finish or during the
race. Observance of any hostile behaviour will lead to immediate
disqualification.

If a swimmer
needs rest or water, he is to signal the nearest kayak who will assist
him with a flotation device; swimmers are NOT allowed to hold onto
moving kayaks/jet-skis. Swimmers may also rest by holding onto the
buoys.

Swimmers are to exit the
water at the designated finish area (between the flags) and make sure
they run through the timing mat/radar ONLY. Failure to exit at the
designated finish area will lead to disqualification.

Volunteers
and race officials are to be treated with respect and courtesy –
non-compliance by the participant towards volunteers or race officials
will lead to immediate disqualification.

Fresh water shower will be available to swimmers.

No
swimming under the influence of alcohol or drugs – swimmers found to be
so influenced will be immediately disqualified from the event and shall
not be allowed to apply or participate in subsequent editions of the
event.

Swimming aids (ex.
flippers, palm pads, mask and snorkel etc.) are not allowed. No private
boats/ water craft will be allowed in the water during the course of the
event. Any participant found to be accompanied by water
craft/non-registered swimmer will be disqualified. 

Outside assistance:

The
assistance provided by Race Officials and volunteers is allowed but is
limited to providing drinks, nutrition and medical assistance and other
necessary assistance (as may be approved by the Race Director and the
Head Referee). No swimmer shall accept from any person outside the race
physical assistance in any form, including food, drink, equipment,
support and pacing unless an exception has been granted and approved in
writing by Enduro Sports Goa. Any swimmer found to receive unauthorized
assistance will be time penalised by 5 minutes or disqualified depending
on the nature of the assistance. Unless otherwise pre-approved by the
Event Director or Head Referee, no swimmer shall intentionally
physically assist the forward progress of another swimmer on any part of
the course. This will result in both swimmers being disqualified.

The
use of swim buddies/tow floats at the 1 and 2 km races is not allowed
as the larger number of congregated participants can lead to a danger of
line entanglement, thus compromising the safety of the swimmers.

SAFETY

Drishti
Marine will handle sea safety of the event with adequate number of
lifeguards, jet skis and rescue boards. Obey lifeguard (Drishti Marine)
instructions completely and immediately. Failure to do so will result in
immediate disqualification.

Any
swimmer who is deemed unfit to continue the race by the lifeguards,
Safety Officers or the Race Officials will be brought back to the shore.
Even if the swimmers protest about being pulled from the water, the
authority of the Safety Officers is final. Failure to comply will lead
to immediate disqualification and such a swimmer will not be allowed to
apply or participate in subsequent editions of the event.

Kayaks
will constantly patrol the swimming zone for the duration of the race
(i.e., within race cut-off timings only). Kayaks will carry a flotation
device and drinking water. Swimmers are not allowed to hold onto moving
kayaks.

In case a swimmer needs
any help, medical attention or wants to be picked up in the middle of
the race, he/she should signal (raise the hand above the water) to
nearest kayak/jet-ski/anchored boat until he/she is approached by a
lifeguard or a race official.

Medical assistance and emergencies:

A
dedicated doctor and paramedic will be present on the beach for any
swimming related incidents throughout the period of race. A dedicated
ambulance will also be on stand-by at the event venue.

Organizers
reserve the right to stop any swimmer from participating who is found
medically unfit to continue in the opinion of the medical personnel.

For further information regarding safety in the sea, please visit our YouTube channel.

For COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols, please see the FAQ section of this event.

First-time sea-swimmers are to inform the event personnel during race kit pick-up.