Mass Disqualifications at Incheon Elementary Swimming Competition... Parents Say "Judges Caused Confusion"

Some point out "Disqualification due to referee confusion"
Incheon Swimming Federation says "Understanding rules is the athlete's responsibility"

At an elementary school swimming competition hosted by the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, a "mass disqualification" occurred, raising concerns about inadequate event management.

16 Elementary School Swimmers Mass Disqualified at Swimming Competition... Reason: 'Diving Outside the Water'

The 7th Incheon Superintendent of Education Cup Elementary School Swimming Competition.
[Photo by Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education]

According to the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education on the 20th, a complaint was filed claiming that "16 swimmers were unfairly disqualified" at the 7th Incheon Superintendent of Education Cup Elementary School Swimming Competition held on the 11th and 12th at the Munhak Park Tae-hwan Swimming Pool in Michuhol-gu, Incheon.

The controversial race was the boys' elementary 200m medley relay held on the second day of the competition. Ten teams competed in two heats, and the final rankings were announced based on their times.

At that time, 16 swimmers from four teams that placed 3rd to 6th were disqualified.

The reason was that the 2nd and 4th swimmers violated competition rules by diving from outside the water at the start.

In fact, the competition rules announced by the Office of Education before the event stated that the 2nd and 4th swimmers in the 200m medley relay must start from inside the water to prevent safety accidents.

Parents: "Referees Caused Confusion... Poor Event Management"

However, some parents claimed that the referees caused confusion by asking the swimmers during the race, "Where will you dive from?" or saying, "You can start from the starting block."

One parent appealed, "Due to the referees' incorrect starting instructions, our children were unfairly disqualified. Please restore the honor of the student athletes who have worked hard for a year."

They also expressed dissatisfaction with the event management, stating that there were no issues until the final results were displayed on the scoreboard after both heats, but the decision was suddenly reversed.

In response, the Incheon Swimming Federation said, "Six out of the ten teams competed according to the rules, and the referees only told the students to follow what they had learned," but emphasized, "It is fundamentally the responsibility of the athletes to understand the competition rules."

However, they apologized for the event's poor progress and stated, "We will discuss with the Office of Education the possibility of nullifying the disqualifications."

An official from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education said, "We have sent an official letter to the Incheon Swimming Federation to verify the facts," adding, "We will prepare improvement measures to prevent such controversies from recurring in future competitions."

Meanwhile, 1,430 students from 183 elementary schools in the Incheon area participated in this competition. Supported by the Incheon Sports Council and first-class referees from the Incheon Swimming Federation, five events were held: freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and medley relay.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.