Criteria

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Honorees for the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF)

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1. Honor Swimmer

2. Honor Contributor:  Administrator, Organization, Coach or Pilot.  These are the dedicated personnel that assist in various functions to support and develop the sport of Marathon Swimming. Their contribution should be made over a period of years, and be truly outstanding. All nominations can include a reference to: Inspirational, Disabilities, Safety, Other contributions to the sport or society, etc.

3. IMSHOF only allows individuals to be inducted under one category.   As a result many Honor Swimmers (for example) who later contribute for decades as administrators and/or coach are not honored again.

 

Awards from the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF)

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1. ISHOF: The Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award

   This award recognizes contributors to the administration of open water swimming to the world. Nominees must have generally made a major contribution at the international level to marathon swimming. Mere long term service by a nominee is insufficient.
    

2. ISHOF: The Poseidon Award This award recognizes high-level achievement from personal effort or initiative in a field of endeavor that contributes to the performance of marathon swimmers, or to the development and status of marathon swimming in the world
    

3. Nominees for the two ISHOF Awards must already be Honorees in the IMSHOF.

 

All nominations can include a reference to inspirational, disabled, water safety, other contributions to the sport or society, etc.

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The sport contains three types of marathon swims.

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1. Solo swims in straits, channels, rivers, lakes, and oceans - example the English
   Channel. This would also include solo swimmers (together) – example tandem in
   Catalina, 4 in Gibraltar, etc.

2. Races in Majors:  currently World Aquatics (previously FINA) Competitive Swimming in the Olympic Games, World Championships, and 10K Marathon Swim Cup Events.

3. Other races:  LEN, national championships, Rottnest, Lac St. Jean, Capri-Naples, World University Games,
   Lake Zurich, S.C.A.R, etc.

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IMSHOF Swimwear and Aids

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To be considered for elevation to Honoree in the IMSHOF, the nominee must have generally  complied with the swimwear rules of the body in control of each event listed in the nomination.
 

• In organized competition conducted under the auspices of a recognized international or national body, the nominee must comply with both the relevant swimwear requirements and other performance regulations as required under that body’s rules.  As an example for World Aquatics, wetsuits are required in elite races in lower temperatures (these would not be noted in biographies unless a speed record was achieved).

• For solo swims conducted under the auspices of the body governing that event, the nominee must comply with both the relevant swimwear requirements and other performance regulations as required under that body’s rules.

• For other swims performed outside of known organizations, private, professional or cause-related, nominees must provide evidence of the swim through credible observers with clear details of a costume or any other practices out of the norm of traditional open solo swims.     

• Honor Organization, the Channel Swimming Association, had formal rules starting in the late 1920s.  The early elite racing organizations also had formal rules from the late 1920s until World Aquatics (previously FINA) took over.   For solo swims in waters not governed by established organization - there were no formal rules and hence some variations to the "generally accepted" rules in place in 2023. 

• Several Honor Swimmers completed swims (before and after induction) in wetsuits, rubber suits, stinger suits and flippers (which are noted in their biographies - for historic reasons).  A few used shark cages (only where these involved longer distances were they mentioned).  Earlier swimmers often used all-over thick grease - which are not mentioned in biographies.

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Ethics

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Honorees will live the values associated with the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame including commitment, integrity, courage, respect and excellence.

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Drug Test Failure (adverse analytical findings, atypical finding, and other assorted anti-doping rule violations) by WADA or an authorized WADA body in any aquatics sport prevents a nominee from being selected and results in the removal of an honoree from the IMSHOF.  This does not apply if the finding is overturned on appeal (reduction or removal of any punishment on appeal is not considered if the finding is not overturned).  This can be a current test or a future test on an old sample.

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Conviction of Sexual Assault on a Child (and all appeals exhausted) by a local court prevents a nominee from being selected and results in the removal of an honoree from the IMSHOF.  

 

Fraud in an organized fashion to create false marathon records (example an organization altering observer logs or selling false marathon completion certificates) prevents a nominee from being selected and results in the removal of an honoree from the IMSHOF.

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Safety is a top priority in the sport and Individuals or Organizations which repeatedly engage in unsafe practices do not meet our ethics criteria.

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Encourage participation by all interested swimmers and contributors.   Individuals or Organizations which repeatedly engage in creating entry barriers or a non-welcoming environment based on disability; race; country of origin; sex or sexual orientation/preference do not meet our ethics criteria.     IMSHOF continues to monitor this criteria and evolve it over time.

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Unfortunately, the five specifics above may not be exhaustive in the future.  The IMSHOF deplores any ethical violations that seriously diminish the reputation of the IMSHOF and the sport of open water swimming.  Even a charge or suspicion of such an ethical violation may cause a nomination or announcement to be withdrawn. 

For inductees, IMSHOF will generally wait for a determination by the courts (and appeals exhausted) before removal is considered.  Where an individual has been removed from IMSHOF - there will be no references or individual pictures on this website.

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