Acrobatic Routine

This routine promotes the powerful and innovative acrobatics that athletes now perform in the water. They perform seven acrobatics, one from each of the four acrobatic groups, plus three free choices for a total of seven transitions. Hybrids are free but no degree of difficulty is awarded. All acrobatic movements are divided into four main groups:

A for "airborne" All elements in this group are performed by a "featured swimmer" in the air (jumps and throws).

B for "balance" Acrobatic movements in this group are performed on a support/base (subgroups stack and lift).

C for "combined" Encompasses characteristics of both upper groups.

P for "platform"  The coordinated effort of team members to form a stable support on which one or more swimmers is lifted to pose or perform actions. May have jump or "dismount" ending (water entrance). 

Teams have a total time of 3:00 minutes plus or minus five seconds for the Acrobatic Routine.

Artistic Impression

Artistic impression components are: choreography, musicality (including synchronisation with music), performance are judged by the artistic impression panel. Transitions are also judged by the artistic impression panel. This category includes:

Choreography and Musicality: Consider the creative skill of composing a routine that combines artistic and technical elements. The design and weaving together of variety, creativity, and innovation of all movements: elements and transitions. The pool coverage. Expressing the mood of the music, use of the music's structure and the movements and synchronisation with music.

Performance: The manner in which the duet/team presents the routine to the viewers: the walk-on and deck movements. The use of body language to express physical and emotional power, confidence, and total command of the performance.

Transitions: Consider the artistry and mastery of varied and purposeful movements, propulsions and strokes that link routine elements.

Base Mark

All elements, hybrids and acrobatics, will have a calculated base mark. The base mark is the minimum degree of difficulty that will be applied if one or more components of the element is not performed, or if it is not in compliance with what is declared on the coach card listing.

Bonuses

Bonuses that add difficulty factors specific to hybrids:

• Travelling (TR) 
• Placement (PL) 
• Synchronisation (SY) 
• Pattern changes (PC)

The Hybrid declared difficulty (DD) value is calculated by movements nine families + bonuses

Connection Actions in Team 

This means four to five athletes are connected in the team.

Deck Work

In all routine events, the walk-on of the athletes from the designated starting point to the achievement of a stationary position(s) may not exceed 30 seconds for mixed duet technical and free, open team technical, and open free combination, and open acrobatic routine. For any solo and duet events, it may not exceed 20 seconds.

In routine events, when the routine starts in the water, the time allowance for the athletes to achieve a stationery starting position in the water shall not exceed 30 seconds for mixed duet technical, free open team technical, open free combination, and open acrobatic routine. For any solo and duet events, it is 20 seconds.

The timing of the deck movements begins with the accompaniment and ends as the last athlete leaves the deck. 

Degree of difficulty (DD)

A quantitative measure of how hard an element, hybrid or acrobatic is performed. The degree of difficulty can be found for duet and team required elements, World Aquatics hybrid degree of difficulty chart and World Aquatics Acrobatic difficulty catalogue. World Aquatics defines all degrees of difficulty.

Difficulty Technical Controllers

Difficulty technical controllers check the predeclared difficulty on the submitted coach card listing. The difficulty technical controllers check the following: 

The number, order and pre-declared difficulty of free elements.

The declared order of performance.

The declared order of the technical required elements and identify if any part of the technical required elements is omitted or does not conform to the requirements.

Draw

During the technical meeting, the duets/teams shall be seeded in the start lists for all routines according to the world ranking. In case of teams/duets without world ranking, the start order will be decided by random draw. These duets/teams will compete first in the competition in the drawn order.

The duets/teams with world rankings will compete following the non-ranked athletes, in reverse order of ranking with the highest ranked duets/teams competing last, followed by the next ranked duets/teams, etc. In cases of ties in the world rankings, there will be a separate draw between tied athletes to decide the order of the main draw.

The rankings are created by adding the raw scores for each national federation for each event in the preceding World Cup or World Championships. They will be determined by World Aquatics.

Duet

A pair of artistic swimmers.

Elements

The execution of elements is judged by the five element judges - the elements panel judges - and the level of excellence in performing highly specialised skills and the execution of all routine elements: technical required elements and free elements (hybrids and acrobatics).

Factors

For the duet/team technical routine, the following factors apply to determine the score:

• Free hybrids 0.4
• Acrobatics 0.7
• TRE 0.8
• CH/MU 1.8

For the duet free routine, the following factors apply to determine the score:

• Free hybrids 0.5
• Acrobatics 0.5
• CH/MU 1.4

For the team free routine, the following factors apply to determine the score:

• Free hybrids 0.5
• Acrobatics 0.5
• CH/MU 2.4       

For the team acrobatic routine, the following factors apply to determine the score:

• Acrobatics 0.8
• Ch/MU 1.2

The coach card details each element in a routine in order of appearance as well as the DD and base mark.

Free Routine

In the free routine, there are no restrictions on music and choreography. The Duet free routine can be no longer 2:45 plus or minus five seconds, and includes a total of seven free hybrids and two pair acrobatics. The Team free routine final can be no longer than 3:30 plus or minus five seconds and includes a total of seven free hybrids and four free team acrobatics.

Hybrids

Movements that compromise transitions in a hybrid and grouped in families:

• Thrusts (T) 
• Rotations (R) 
• Flexibility (F) 
• Airborne weight (AW) 
• Connections (C)

Judge Panels

Two panels of five judges award scores for routines: the panel of element judges and the panel of artistic impression judges. 

Penalty Points

Penalty points are deducted for the infraction of rules as described in the World Aquatics rules.

Reserve 

A swimmer entered in the competition, but not actually swimming. Competitors can be replaced by a reserve up to two hours prior to the start of the respective session. In case of a medical reason the reserve can be exchanged at any time before the start. 

Routine

This is an event unit. There are three types of performances in artistic swimming team events: the technical routine, the free routine and the acrobatic routine. In the artistic swimming duets, there are the technical duet and free duet routines.

Routine Result

The score for each element is calculated as follows: the highest and the lowest awards for each score are cancelled (one high, one low). The three remaining awards are added, and the sum divided by three. The result is multiplied by its correspondent degree of difficulty and then multiplied by the correspondent factor. For each of the three artistic impression scores the highest and the lowest awards for each score are cancelled (one high, one low). The three remaining awards are added.

Score

Points awarded by the judges, between 0-10, with 0.25 point increments.

Synchronisation Technical Controllers

Synchronisation between swimmers (one with the other) will be monitored by three synchronisation technical controllers (STC) that will record the number and type of synchronisation errors observed.

Teams

An artistic swimming team is made up of eight swimmers, and up to two of the swimmers may be male. 

Technical Routine

The technical routine has five technical elements with an assigned degree of difficulty. The required elements can be performed in any order, however, duets/teams must perform the technical required elements in the order they declared on the coaches card, or a penalty will be applied as per rule book.

For the female duet technical routine another three free elements are required (two hybrids and one pair acrobatic). In an open team technical routine, another four free elements are required (three hybrids and one acrobatic). Technical routines also have other specific requirements as described in the World Aquatics manual. The duet technical routine has a time limit of 2:20 (including five seconds deck work) +/-15 seconds. The team technical routine has a time limit of 2:50 (including ten seconds deck work) plus or minus five seconds.

Technical Artistic Swimming Committee

The primary duties of the Technical Artistic Swimming Committee, appointed by the World Aquatics Bureau, are: 

To ensure that all aspects of World Aquatics competition rules and operation manuals are followed.

To oversee the qualification procedures.

To oversee the technical conduct of the competition.

To run the technical meeting.

To advise the organisers within the scope of their duties.