MALTA GOZO MALTA GOZO MALTA OPEN WATER SWIMMING COMPETITIONS 2017
Name and Organisation The event shall be known as the BSJ Garmin Gozo-Malta Open Water Swimming Competition; Hereunder referred to as the event, and shall be organized by Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club, hereunder referred to as the Organizers, under the auspices of the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta;
Date, Time, Route The event shall be held on Saturday, 26 th August, 2017 starting at 8.15 a.m. from Hondoq ir-rummien in Gozo, proceeding on the shortest possible route towards the island of Comino and finishing at the finish gantry on the sandy beach at Marfa. The approximate distance is 6 kilometres.
GOZO Boat 1 START Buoy 1 Boat 2 Buoy 2 COMINO Buoy 3 Buoy 5 Boat 6 Buoy 4 Boat 3 Boat 4 Boat 5 Barge Feeding Station Buoy 6 FINISH MALTA Gozo-Malta Open Water Swimming Challenge 2017
Schedule on Race Day 5:45 a.m. Signing in of participating swimmers Swimmers in Gozo on race day should call the Race Director to confirm their presence 7.00 a.m. Departure from Marfa Quay in Malta to Hondoq ir-rummien in Gozo. Swimmers in Gozo on the day of the event are to be at Hondoq ir-rummien at 7.00 a.m. 7.45 a.m. Roll-call of all participants 8.15 a.m. Start of Race from Hondoq ir-rummien, Gozo.
Time Limit A time limit of three hours thirty minutes shall be applicable for the event. The Event Time-keeper shall communicate with the Event Judge the moment the prescribed time shall elapse. Swimmers still in the water will be asked to abandon the swim and no official time will be given.
Accompanying Boats Throughout the whole event, swimmers should should head towards the route stationery boats, keeping these boats on their right hand side; Boats accompanying swimmers are to keep the stationery boats on their left hand side and are never to enter the race route unless permission is requested from the Race Director; All accompanying sea crafts are to abide strictly with Transport Malta Regulations and the relative Legal Notice; The swimmer who has a seacraft which breaks these regulations, will be disqualified immediately;
Feed Stations A Feed Station will be placed approximately half way through the course; Bottled water will be made available to swimmers; Littering in the sea is prohibited; Swimmers are to ensure that bottles are to be handed back to the Feed Station boat; The Club will do its utmost to ensure that no littering in the sea will take place; Swimmers caught throwing water bottles or any other litter in the sea will be given a two minute penalty;
Finish Gantry The event Finish shall be at a gantry placed by the organizers at Marfa next to the Ramla Bay Resort beach; Finishing times are recorded the instant swimmers hit the Finish Gantry;
Trophies and Mementos Trophies shall be awarded to the first three places in the Male and Female categories; To the first Male and Female in the other categories as specified in the entry form; All swimmers will be given a finish memento; Swimmers who will not be present for the presentation ceremony will be given a finishing time which will not be considered in the race s general classification; The trophy will be presented to the next classified;
Swimming Caps Swimming caps are compulsory; Swimming caps need to be clearly visible in the sea; Swimmers without a swimming cap will be disqualified;
Swimming Wet Suits Wet-suits may be used; Participants planning to use a wet-suit shall have their finishing time recorded but shall not qualify for the final classification; Racing suits and fast skins (pool or open water) may be used and participants will also qualify for the final classification;
Disqualification A boat assigned by the organizers, shall be patrolling and marshalling the event. Event Judge shall be on board; On breaching of any rules, boat shall approach the said participant and an immediate disqualification will be handed out; Disqualified participants are to abandon the swim immediately and board the Race Director s boat; If, following a disqualification notice, a swimmer continues the event, the organizers shall not be held responsible for his safety; Swimmer shall not be allowed to participate the following year;
Difficulties during the event Should a participant encounter any difficulties during the event, s/he should abandon the swim immediately, and draw the attention of the nearest boat or any of the boats patrolling the race route.
Cancellation of Event As from two days prior to the event, arrangements shall be made by the organizers to be forwarded by expert analyses of the weather conditions on the event s route; On the eve of the event, a decision whether the event shall be held or not due to the forecasted weather conditions, shall be taken. Should the organizers be advised to cancel the event, the participants shall be informed accordingly through a notice on the Club website www.bkarastjoseph.com and Facebook page. Notice will be issued by 6.00 p.m. ;
Cancellation of Event (Cont.) Should the event be cancelled, a full refund of the payments made to the organizers shall be made; Should the weather conditions be acceptable, but jellyfish are prevalent on the race route, it shall be up to each participating swimmer whether to compete or not; The decision should be solely his/hers and the organizers shall not be held responsible for any eventual mishap;
Cancellation of Event (Cont.) Since a decision to cancel participation due to jellyfish can only be taken just before the event, an applicant shall not be able to claim a refund of the payments made to the Organizers;
Advertising Material The only advertising material of a commercial nature allowed to be exhibited during the event, should be that approved by the organizers.
Interpretation of these Rules The organizers are the sole interpreters of these Rules, and all decisions taken by them or on their behalf shall be final.
THANK YOU And GOOD LUCK