Officials Development Program & Sanctioning Requirements

June 17, 2025 update - Meet Listings Now Open for 2025–2026 Season

Meet Listing for 2025-2026 season

Swim Ontario is pleased to confirm that clubs may now begin submitting their meet listings through the REMS Meet Module for the 2025–2026 season. All meets listed will then show on Swimming Canada's Upcoming Meets Events Page with limited details (Name of Meet, Start Date, Host and course).

Instructional Video for Meet Managers - Click HERE

Please note that there is no formal approval process in place at this time. All submitted listings will be reviewed by Swim Ontario staff, and any meets that do not align with the current requirements — such as Tier eligibility, session limits, or formatting — may be removed or adjusted without notice.

To ensure a fair and consistent process, all meet listings submitted prior to this notice have been removed from REMS. This allows all clubs to begin on equal footing with updated guidance in place.

Important Notes:
- No meets will be listed or approved for September 2025.
  The meet calendar will begin in October to support proper planning and seasonal readiness.
- Listing a meet does not constitute approval to host.
  All meets must go through the sanctioning process in the fall, and each application will be reviewed against the sanctioning requirements in effect at that time.
- Sanction applications will not be accepted until the club has completed its 2025–2026 affiliation and has been granted access to REMS for the new season. Any sanction applications submitted prior to these requirements will be removed.

Key Listing Requirements:

Meet listings must reflect your club’s current TIER status:
- Tier II
  - Must be listed as Closed Invitational
  - Maximum of 4 sessions
- Tier III
  - May be up to 3 days and 6 sessions
Time standards are not permitted in Tier II or Tier III meets. They may only be included once a club has achieved Tier IV status.
Clubs that have not yet reached the required Tier for their intended format must outline how the meet will be supported:
- Co-hosting with another club
- Securing certified officials
- Regional assistance
- If no plan is submitted, the listing may be modified to reflect the Tier currently achieved. This does not prevent a club from reaching a higher Tier later — it simply ensures that all current listings are appropriate and realistic.
- Clubs must email nicole@swimontario.com with meet details and format prior to listing.

We appreciate your cooperation as we continue refining the REMS system and improving the meet planning process for all clubs.

Questions may be directed to nicole@swimontario.com.

Updates to the Sanction Requirements for the 2025-2026 season

To determine the eligibility for sanction requirements:

For sanctions taking place before October 30, 2025, the achieved TIER will be based on the 2024-2025 season ending TIER with no affiliated officials, however, the TIER will be determined as of the date of sanction application for sanctions after October 30, 2025. Clubs will be required to have their officials registered and Active in order to apply for the desired TIER sanctions.

Sanction Tier & Sanctioning Matrix

Different sanction types were divided into different TIERS based on number of sessions and complexity of the competition which requires a higher number of qualified and certified officials to deliver a fair and consistent event. It is important to note that 75% of competitions in 2018, 2019, 2022 were 4 sessions or less.

TIER I: Class II Time Trial + In House Competition
TIER II: Closed Invitational (limited to 4 sessions)
TIER III: Open Invitational (limited to 6 sessions, no qualification standards)
TIER IV: Open or Closed Invitational + Regionals & Provincials (no upper session limits, any double ended meet or meet with qualification standards)

A sanctioning matrix was developed to ensure a minimum number of qualified and certified officials were in place with the club to be able to deliver a competition with the different levels of complexity. This is a hybrid system, using both Level of senior officials as well as individual positions that need to be staffed.

The Sanctioning Matrix can be found HERE

Clubs do have the ability to co-host (including regional clubs hosting) and gain support from affiliated registered officials.

Clubs are responsible to register their officials and volunteers through the REMS system. Swim Ontario will ensure sufficient officials at various stages of development are registered through the REMS system.

Swim Ontario can request either or both an official development plan and progress report on the officials grid to ensure a host club has sufficient officials in place to run a fair and safe competition.

Swim Ontario can request a Post Meet Report that would include

Actual session timeline reports (start of warm-up, start of session, end of session, and delays)
Scanned copies of the “checked-in” Officials Grids.
Full Meet Backup

Additional Information may be required from the Competition Coordinators and Meet Managers.

Swim Ontario can withdraw a sanction at any time if insufficient officials are in place or Swim Ontario procedures are not being followed to ensure a fair and safe competition.

Sanction deadlines for the 2025-2026 season:

With the understanding that everyone will be learning the REMS meets module, there will be leniency on the deadlines for sanction applications for meets taking place before October 30, 2025, however

any TIER II meets submitted within 2 weeks of the start of the event will be denied.
any TIER III or IV meet submitted within 4 weeks of the event start will be denied.

Events taking place after October 30, 2025, the sanction application deadlines will be in place and enforced.

TIER I: In House competition: 2 weeks
TIER I: Class II Time Trial: 1 week
TIER I: Class I Time Trial: 5 business days
TIER II: Closed Invitational: 6 weeks
TIER III: Invitational: 8 weeks
TIER IV: Invitational: 8 weeks
Masters Meets: 4 weeks
Varsity only: 4 weeks
Provincial meets: 8 weeks