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History

Gyékényes is in the immediate vicinity of the Croatian border, only 30 min from Nagykanizsa by car. The gravel pits of Gyékényes have been operating since 1920 at the municipal border, and due to their gravel-beds the lakes are so clean that the range of vision underwater is up to 8 metres. The largest quarry lake is the 12-15 metres deep Kotró, but it goes as deep as 25-30 metres near the extraction. The diving base at the southern lakeside hosts a great number of international and domestic events every year, like the National Championship of Orientation Dive organized by the Hungarian Divers Federation. The owners of the lake sent quite a few safe shipwrecks to the bottom for spectacle, so the divers can find speed boats, cars and pedalos down there. Besides technical preparation, diving also provides a chance to discover the living environment underwater, because divers often encounter carps, breams, pikes and catfish. So, our travelers can get an environmental experience too, besides challenge.

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

MINIMUM QUALIFYING TIME

●    Advanced race – 1 km / 45 perc

●    Extreme race – 1 km / 20 perc

PROGRAMME – Registration starts earliest at 7 AM prior to the first race time at the area in front of Zöld Sas Étterem in Gyékényes, located at the lakeside, where you can park and  you’ll  be  able  to  present  your  medical  certificate  as  well  as  your  entry  form. Subsequently,  right  next  to  the  registration area a couple of minivans will be waiting to transfer you to the starting point, Gyékényes Diving Base. At the starting point you will be able to change your clothes in the dressing room created for this purpose. We will keep your luggage safe 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. Upon finishing the race you will arrive back to the starting point where you’ll be able to see your race time on the scoreboard, take a shower, get dressed and receive finishers’ goodies. The continuously rotating minivans will transfer you back to the registration area, where the people who accompanied you can also wait and cheer on you.

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.

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.

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ENTRIES:

●    Advanced race – 840

●    Extreme race – 120

The organizers reserve the right to modify the number of participants and to close the entry period anytime.

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

penwatertounament.hu.

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