The world records in swimming are ratified by

World Aquatics World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in List of water sports, water sports. It is one of several interna ...

(formerly known as FINA), the international governing body of swimming. Records can be set in

long course An Olympic-size swimming pool is a swimming pool which conforms to the regulations for length, breadth, and depth made by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) for swimming at the Summer Olympics and the swimming events at the World Aquatics Champion ...

(50 metres) or short course (25 metres) swimming pools. World Aquatics recognizes world records in the following events for both men and women, except for the mixed relays, where teams consist of two men and two women, in any order. * Freestyle: 50m,

100m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

200m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

400m The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

, 800m, 1500m * Backstroke: 50m,

* Breaststroke: 50m,

* Butterfly: 50m,

* Individual medley:

(short course only),

* Relays: 4 × 50 m freestyle relay (short course only), 4 × 100 m freestyle, 4 × 200 m freestyle, 4 × 50 m medley relay (short course only), 4 × 100 m medley * Mixed relays: 4 × 50 m mixed freestyle (short course only), 4 × 100 m mixed freestyle (long course only), 4 × 50 m mixed medley (short course only), 4 × 100 m mixed medley The ratification process is described in FINA Rule SW12, and involves submission of paperwork certifying the accuracy of the timing system and the length of the pool, satisfaction of FINA rules regarding swimwear and a negative doping test by the swimmer(s) involved. Records can be set at intermediate distances in an individual race and for the first leg of a relay race. Records which have not yet been fully ratified are marked with a '#' symbol in these lists. Some of the records below were established by swimmers wearing bodysuits or suits made of polyurethane or other non-textile materials allowed in the race pool from February 2008 until December 2009. On the eve of the

2009 FINA World Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships () or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. This was the second time the championships were held in the city after being previously hosted in 1994. The 20 ...

in Rome, the international governing body for five Olympic aquatic sports voted to ban the use of bodysuits and all suits made of non-textile materials starting 1 January 2010. The suits seemed to improve the performance in those with larger physiques, boosting performance in some athletes more than others, depending on

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

and physiology. Since then, best times set by swimmers wearing textile materials have once again overtaken more than half of the world records recognized by World Aquatics. On 25 July 2013, FINA Technical Swimming Congress voted to allow world records in the long course mixed 400 free relay and mixed 400 medley relay, as well as in six events in short course metres: the mixed 200 medley and 200 free relays, as well as the men's and women's 200 free relays and the men's and women's 200 medley relays. In October 2013, FINA decided to establish "standards" before something can be recognized as the first World Record in these events. But later on 13 March 2014 FINA has officially ratified the eight world records set by Indiana University swimmers at the IU Relay Rally held on 26 September 2013 in Bloomington.

Long course (50m pool)

Men

''ss – supersuited/non-textile world record''

Women

''ss – supersuited/non-textile world record''

Mixed relay

Short course (25m pool)

Men

''ss – supersuited/non-textile world record'' ''WB - world best time swam that will not be ratified by FINA.''

Women

Mixed relay

Record holders' rankings

By nation

By athlete (men)

By athlete (women)

References

External links

World Aquatics swimming world records
{{Records * History of swimming

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

World records A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...