Timing chips on the ankles or transponders on the wrist, or just plain old-fashioned black numbers on the shoulders are various ways for race directors to keep track of the position and timing of athletes in open water swimming competitions.

But at the Japan International Open Water Swimming Association events, bar codes are used. The bar codes are attached at the wrist and then scanned at the end of the race. The position, by gender and age-group, is then tied to the each swimmer and their specific times.

In the beginning of the race in the swimmers’ corral (or chute) on the shore (or sand or beach), each swimmers bar code is scanned by the staff so the race director and staff know exactly who is in the water and how many swimmers there are in total.

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