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History

Balaton bay cross swim has its long traditions, most frequently competitions are organized between the Tihany Peninsula and Balatonfüred, but the event also took place between Balatonalmádi and Balatonfűzfő under the name of beach cross swim, most recently in 2011. The Fűzfő bay is the northernmost part of Lake Balaton in the eastern basin. Today, the bay is a popular site of water sports due to its favorable winds.

RACES

●    advanced – 3 km

●    extreme – 9 km (the 9 km race will start at the beginning of the day, in the first two 30 min time frames with a restricted number of swimmers)

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ENTRIES:

●    Advanced race – 3 km – 840 competitors

●    Extreme race – 9 km – 120 competitors

PROGRAMME  –  Registration  starts  earliest  at  7  AM  prior  to  the  first  race  time  –  but  60 minutes  before  each  race  time  –  at  Balatonalmádi  Budatava  beach, where you can park, present  the  medical  certificate  /  or  do  your medical check-up and pick up your microchip transponder technology installed in armbands. Subsequently, you will be able to change your clothes in the dressing rooms, we will keep your luggage safe at the registration area until you return. Please, do not bring any expensive clothing, watches, or jewelry, the organizers are  not  responsible  for  repair  or  replacement of lost or damaged items. Right next to the entrance of the beach, in the parking lot a couple of minivans will be waiting to transfer you to the starting point, to Balatonfűzfő Zagykazetta beach. Participants will depart from the beach at 30min intervals. Upon finishing the race you will arrive back to Balatonalmádi Budatava beach,  where  you’ll  be  able to see your race time on the scoreboard, take a shower, get dressed and receive finishers’ goodies.

NEOPRENE / EQUIPMENTS – Swimming equipment (paddles, fins etc.) are allowed to use, but time results are not eligible for official race awards. Neoprene wetsuits are also allowed, but swimming results will only be eligible at water temps of below 18℃ degrees.

START / FINISH – The water at the departing and arriving areas is gradually deepening, so you can walk in and out safely.

NUMBER OF ENTRANTS – The event lasts all day long, so we can let all the max 1000 competitors into the water safe and sound at 1 minute intervals. Securing the organization of a safe competition is first priority either for the authorities and for us, the organizers as well.

SECURITY – Pest County Search and Rescue Team is responsible for securing the venue with  boats,  stationing  and  patrolling around the swimming channel. Swimmers in need of help will be immediately assisted or pulled out of the water. On-land medical treatment will be provided by AMS Assistance.

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COMPETITION RULES AND REGULATIONS

A  SHORT  DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPETITION: Open Water Tournament (OWT) is a unique open water swimming tournament that explores the aquatic environment of Hungary and utilizes it as a sports venue. During the tournament, swimmers are pitted against each other in courses having different water types and distances, while they can also experience the country’s aquatic environment. At the end of the tournament, champions of Hungarian open water swimming will be selected, and every participant will have a clearer picture of the type and distance of open water they perform the best in.

ORGANIZER: OWT Sport Club (4BRO HUNGARY Ltd. and FRIENDS CLUB HUNGARY Ltd.)

AGE  GROUPS:  Entrants  of  the  competition  must  be  healthy,  and  at least 18 years old. Competitors under 18 but above 12 years of age are only allowed to participate if they hold a  valid  competitor  pass  and  the  child’s  parent  or  legal  guardian  must be present or give consent. Given the broad interest in the event, the “kids” competition will start between 9:00 and 10:00 in the morning, a time frame especially dedicated for children (12-18). We provide special circumstances for children’s competition, the professional lifeguard team of the event will escort the competitors throughout the whole race.

COMPETITION  SCHEDULE:  During  the  competitions  swimmers  will  start  in  30  min  time frames in groups of 120. Participants will start individually at 15-30 second intervals.

MEDICAL FITNESS CERTIFICATE: Competitors  signed  on  by  a  sports  club  must  hold  a  medical  fitness  certificate  that  was issued by a sports physician less than 1 year before the event’s date. Competitors who are not signed on by a sports club must hold a primary  care doctors’ certificate in which the physician  asserts  the  entrant  is  qualified  for  completing  the  race  distance.  Insofar  as the entrant does not hold a preliminary medical certificate, the doctor present during the event can  issue  the  certificate  –  for  a  10,000  Ft  fee – if medical fitness is verified after medical examination.

Any competitor is subject to disqualification who does not complete the full distance of the race – as it is indicated by the organizers -, and also who fills in the entry form incorrectly, incompletely or by providing data that does not reflect reality.

SCORING AND ANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY: The winner will be announced based on individual  results,  according  to  subcategories  of  age  and  sex.  All  finishers  will  receive  a Medal on completing the event.

ADDITIONAL RULES and INSTRUCTIONS

Entry on the Day will not be available at this event. Please, arrive 60 minutes before the scheduled start of your group’s time frame! If you would like to know more about the different competition venues, you can download the Announcement of Competition from the main page of openwatertounament.hu. Please follow us on facebook  and  instagram  for news, recommendations and details of the competitions.