What are qualifying times, and who sets them?
Rule- South Africa
- Swimming South Africa
- Age group swimming
- 16&U
- World Aquatics rules
- 2025/26
- Parents
A qualifying time (QT) is the time a swimmer must have achieved, and recorded on the SSA National Database, to enter an event at a championship.
| Level | Who sets the QTs |
|---|---|
| Level 0 (district) | No QTs |
| Level 1 (provincial) | Each province decides whether to set QTs and what they are, so this varies by province |
| Level 2, Level 3, SA National Junior | SSA, published by age group and sex in the annual SSA competition rules |
| SA Youth, SA National Aquatic and SA Short Course Championships | SSA, published in the same rules |
QTs are faster at each step up. For example, in 2025-2026 a 12-year-old girl needed 35.63 for the 50 m freestyle at Level 2.
Times count only once they are on the database: swimmers must be registered with SSA and have swum the time at a competition whose results are loaded. For 2025-2026, times from 1 May 2025 counted, and the cut-off for age group competitions was 1 March 2026.
Added 21 Oct 2026