Become an open water swimming official

Open water swimming is becoming increasingly popular and like any other aquatics discipline, we need officials to ensure our events run smoothly. If you would like to support the London Region open water swimming community by training to become official, you can start this process by enrolling in one of the following four online, interactive, Zoom webinars covering the theory side of open water officiating. These sessions are hosted by Swim England Open Water Technical Officials Representative, Paul Kendall.

• Sunday 19 April 2026: 09:00 – 12:00
• Thursday 14 May 2026: 09:00 – 12:00
• Thursday 14 May 2026: 18:00 – 21:00
• Saturday 30 May 2026: 09:00 – 12:00

You can enrol in one of these sessions by contacting Paul Kendall directly at [email protected]. You will need to be at least 16 years of age and a member of Swim England to enrol. To become a qualified official you will also need to complete practical training at a suitable open water event, eg Regional Championship events – the London Region will be hosting its regional championship event at the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, London E14, on July 5th.

There is no fee for participating in one of these four online theory sessions, but there is a fee for the final licence qualification on completion of both the theory and practical elements of the training.

Alternatively, if you are just keen to learn more about becoming an open water official, please contact David Skinner [email protected]