Who can be in a relay team, and what are the relay changeover rules?

• Each relay team has four swimmers of the same sex, all registered with the same club. A mixed relay has two men and two women, all registered with the same club.
• To swim in a relay you must have entered at least one individual event at the meet.
• The name, gender, age and registration number of each team member and their order must be submitted before the race, by the deadline the Meet Director sets. After that deadline a substitution is allowed only for an evidenced medical emergency and with the prior permission of the Referee or Meet Director.
• You may swim in a relay race only once.
• Relay exchanges start from the starting platform, pool deck or the water. A running start from the pool deck is not allowed.
• Until the swimmer in the water touches the wall to finish their quarter, the feet of the next swimmer must stay in contact with the starting platform.
• A team member who is not next in order must not enter the water during that race until all swimmers have finished.
• A swimmer who has finished must leave the pool as soon as possible without obstructing others; swimmer four stays in the lane until the Referee directs them out.
• Where the Meet Director allows, composite teams (members from more than one club) may swim relays, but their times are not eligible for Top Ten lists or records. At the National Championships such teams are not awarded points.

Sources: Masters Swimming Australia Swimming Rules, June 2026, SW 10.4 (https://mastersswimming.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MSA-Swimming-Rules-inc-Multi-Class-Rules-June-2026-1.pdf) and General Rules, June 2026, GR 6.1.1, 8.3 and 11.10 (https://mastersswimming.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MSA-General-Rules-June-2026.pdf).