USA Swimming Institutes Open Water Maximum Temperature Requirement

JACKSONVILLE, Florida, September 17. AFTER the debacle that was the 25K events in Shanghai at the FINA World Championships, where swimmers competed in water hotter than the FINA "recommended guideline" for maximum heat, USA Swimming has taken steps to begin the process to enforce athlete safety requirments.

At the United States Aquatic Sports Convention in Jacksonville, the House of Delegates passed by a "clear and vocal majority" a maximum temperature requirement for all open water swims under the USA Swimming umbrella that are 5K or longer.

That water temperature max is set at 85 degrees Fahrenheit, 29.45 degrees Celsius. FINA's recommended guideline for the top temperature is 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Special thanks to John Dussliere for contributing to this report.

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