What order and rules apply in individual medley and medley relay?
Rule- Australia
- Masters Swimming Australia
- Masters swimming
- Swimming Rules
- General Rules
- Adults 18+
- 2026/27
- Swimmers
Each stroke is swum for one quarter of the total race distance.
- Individual medley: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.
- Medley relay: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle.
- In the freestyle section of both, your body must be on the breast except when executing a turn. You must return to the breast before any kick or stroke. Leaving the wall on your back is permitted, but no kicking is allowed until you have returned past the vertical to the breast, when kicking (including butterfly kicks) may start.
- Each stroke section must be finished in accordance with the rules for that stroke.
- If you start any leg with the wrong stroke you cannot fix the error by stopping and returning to the end to start again with the correct stroke.
Source: Masters Swimming Australia Swimming Rules, June 2026, SW 9 (https://mastersswimming.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MSA-Swimming-Rules-inc-Multi-Class-Rules-June-2026-1.pdf).
Added 24 Oct 2026