World Triathlon bans long nails, jewellery and watches in major rules changes to make swims safer

World Triathlon is banning long nails, jewellery and watches from the swim section of its events as part of a series of updates to competition rules for 2025.

The update, which will come into force on February 27, was approved by the Executive Board after a comprehensive review led by the Technical Committee and the World Triathlon Sports Department.

Feedback from athletes

Athletes, local organising committees (LOCs), national federations, continental confederations and various committees all had their say in the review, and reports from Technical Delegates (TDs) were also taken into account.

In the Swim Behaviour section of the update, World Triathlon says that “to avoid injuries”, fingernails and toenails will need to be short in order for the athlete to be authorised to start. It also states that watches are forbidden “in principle”. The Head Referee though ‘may’ authorise the wearing of watches

World Triathlon also states that the above two updates will ONLY apply to Elite, U23 and Junior races over standard distance or shorter. So it appears things will continue as was for Age Group racing.

One change which appears to be coming into force for all races is that around jewellery. No longer will discretion be applied around whether items are deemed to be a hazard – instead now there is a blanket ban.

World Triathlon is also making potential sanctions stronger for athletes who transgress during the swim, with the warning that “Where athletes dunk, punch, scratch, or kick another athlete will result in disqualification and may be reported to the World Triathlon Tribunal for potential suspension or expulsion”.

In another update to the rules governing the swim, World Triathlon has decided that athletes “are not allowed to push an inanimate object to propel themselves forward.”

In a statement, the body said: “We have received feedback on the restrictions of wearing jewellery during the competitions. As it came from the athletes and for the safety of the athletes mainly during the swim, we would like to ensure that the interpretation of such rule will be clarified with further inputs from the Athletes Committee.”

More World Triathlon rule changes

These are just some of a number of changes announced by the sport. Another major change involves what is deemed acceptable water quality for races.

One of the other headline changes saw acceptable water quality standards relaxed, while revised drafting penalties and updates to the sport’s transgender athlete policy and mixed relay regulations are also being brought in.

Drafting penalties have been revised and reduced across various race distances to reflect a “more balanced approach to competition integrity”.

The Mixed Relay lineup has also been altered with a return to the format hosted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The sequence of competitors now must be woman-man-woman-man.