SOURCE: USSS

Judging and Scoring Olympic Synchronized Swimming

The Olympic format will consist of two routine events - technical routine and free routine.

Technical Routine

The technical routine will have required elements that must be performed in a series. Teams can choose their own music and add additional choreography but cannot perform the elements out of order. Time length is 2:50.

Free Routine

In the free routine, there are no restrictions as to the choice of music and choreography. The routine length can be no longer than five minutes, plus or minus 15 seconds. The deckwork time limit is 10 seconds.

Judging

A panel of 10 judges will award points from 0 to 10 in one-tenth-point increments. Five judges will award points for Technical Merit and five judges for Artistic Impression.

Technical Merit:

The Technical Merit score has three major components:

1. Execution: The perfection of swimming strokes, propulsion techniques, figures and transitions, and the precision of patterns.
2. Synchronization: The ability to match one with the other and to move with the music.
3. Difficulty: The amount of airborne weight extended above the surface of the water, the complexity and multiplicity of the movements, the strength required, the length of time movements require, particularly underwater time, and their placement in the routine, and the complexity of pattern changes and synchronization.

Artistic Impression:

The Artistic Impression score also has three components:

1. Choreography: The variety and creativity of movements, transitions, fluidity, patterns, and pool usage.
   
2. Music Interpretation: The use of movement to interpret the mood and feeling of the music, its dynamics and rhythms.
   
3. Manner of Presentation: The poise and confidence with which the routine is presented, the ability to communicate through the choreography with the judges and spectators, and the seeming effortlessness of the performance.

The highest and lowest of the scores awarded in each category, Technical Merit and Artistic Impression, are canceled and the remaining scores are averaged. Technical Merit total is multiplied by six (6) and the Artistic Impression score by four (4). The total of these two equals the routine score.

Penalties

Penalties between one and two points, although rarely assessed, may be administered by the Referee for infractions.

One-Point Penalty Deductions

• Exceeding the time limit of 10 seconds for deck movements.
  
• Deviating from the specified time limit allowance for a routine.

Two-Point Penalty Deductions

• A swimmer making deliberate use of the pool bottom during a routine.
  
• A swimmer making deliberate use of the pool bottom during a routine to assist another swimmer(s).

Half-Point Penalty Deductions

• A required element is omitted from a Technical Routine.

Order of Swim

The order of swim for the technical routine will be done by a computer draw at least 24 hours before the first part of the competition.

For the free routine, the countries that finish in places fifth through eighth in the technical routine will draw to swim first through fourth in the free routine, and the countries that finish first through fourth will draw to swim fifth through eighth. The most coveted spot is swimming last.

Final Placement

To determine the winner and overall placement, the technical routine and free routine scores must be weighted to 35 and 65 percent and then added together. To do this, multiply the technical routine score by .35 and the free routine score by .65 and then add the two sums together.

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