Your Guide to Swimming Qualifying Times

As swimmers develop, they’ll become eligible for higher‑level competitions by achieving qualifying times.

A qualifying time is simply a performance standard. If a swimmer records a time faster than the published qualifying time for an event, they become eligible to enter that championship.

Not every meet requires qualifying times — in fact, most swimmers spend several years enjoying open‑entry competitions while gradually improving their personal bests. The goal isn’t to qualify as quickly as possible; it’s to enjoy the journey and celebrate steady improvement.

⏱️ Qualifying Times for Championship Meets

Qualifying times are only required for Regional (Brisbane), State, and National meets.

Club Nights, Development Meets, Transition Meets and Preparation Meets don’t require one — see our Swim Meet Levels guide if you’re not sure where your swimmer currently sits on the pathway.

Where Qualifying Times Come From

Swimmers must achieve a verified time at an approved competition — anything above and including Preparation Meets. Club Night times don’t count, because they’re unverified.

Why verification matters: sanctioned meets are run under Swimming Australia rules, with accredited officials and certified electronic timing. This independent verification is what makes a time “official” — not the difficulty of the meet. It’s also why a fast swim at Club Night can’t be used to enter a Championship.

Qualifying times are valid from 1 January of the previous year, unless the meet booklet states otherwise. Always check the specific meet’s information booklet, as some Championships adjust this window.

Finding This Season’s Qualifying Times

Qualifying times are set separately for each Championship and reviewed every season, so we don’t publish a fixed table here — it would be out of date within months. Instead, go straight to the source and read the meet’s information booklet:

• Regional (Brisbane) Championships: Swimming Brisbane
• State Championships: Swimming Queensland
• National Championships: Swimming Australia

Your coach will also let you know when your swimmer is getting close to a qualifying time, so you don’t need to check the booklet every week.

⏱️Have They Already Got a Qualifying Time?

You can check your swimmer’s personal bests against the published standards:

1. Log in to Swim Central
2. Open your swimmer’s profile
3. Select Personal Bests (verified SC and LC times)
4. Compare these against the current meet booklet for the Championship you’re interested in.

If nothing appears for an event, it simply means your swimmer hasn’t swum a verified time in that stroke/distance yet — not that they’re ineligible to try.

⏱️Converted Times

If a swimmer only has a time in one pool size (SC or LC) but wants to enter a race for the other pool size, Swim Central automatically converts it for nominations:

• Short Course (SC) = 25m
• Long Course (LC) = 50m
• Converting SC → LC = must add time, using an algorithm on Swim Central. This is then shown as the entry time when nominating.
• Converting LC → SC = must subtract time.

Swimmers are typically faster in short course, because more wall turns mean more push-offs and streamline glides.