Who sits at the officials' table, and what does each person do?
Rule- South Africa
- Swimming South Africa
- Water polo
- World Aquatics rules
- Table officials
- All ages
- 2025/26
- Officials
Under World Aquatics rules (Part Six, Articles 3.10 and 3.11), the full table is two timekeepers and two secretaries.
| Role | Duties |
|---|---|
| Timekeeper 1 | Exact time of actual play, timeouts and intervals; announces the last minute; whistles at 45 seconds and the end of each timeout; signals the end of each period |
| Timekeeper 2 | Continuous possession time for each team: runs and resets the shot clock |
| Secretary 1 | Keeps the Record of the Game (players, goals, timeouts, exclusion, penalty and personal fouls, cards) |
| Secretary 2 | Administers exclusions (flags for expiry, and the 4-minute signal after violent action), and signals improper entry and third personal fouls with the red flag |
The secretaries also whistle to stop play when a valid timeout is called, and the timekeepers record exclusion and re-entry times. Assistant referees sit at the goal lines on the same side as the table.
With fewer officials, a match needs at least one timekeeper and one secretary, and the duties are combined.
Updated 22 Oct 2026