There are all kinds of abbreviations, acronyms, and terms used in the open water swimming world regarding training, organizations, locations, courses, conditions, and race results.
Common English-language acronyms include
What Are MED and ABT?
MED is a proposed open water swimming acronym that refers to an incompletion of a swim due to a medical issue not due to the fault or decision of the swimmer. An example was when Hisham Masri of Syria did not finish the 25 km race at the 2003 FINA World Championships held in Barcelona, Spain when he was hit by a boat on the course. He was pulled from the water, received medical care, and pleaded to have the official DNF designation changed. “It was not his fault that he was run over, but there was no acronym in the FINA rule book to define the medical emergency that led to officials pulling him from the course,” recalled Shelley Taylor-Smith who was serving as the Honorary Secretary of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee at the time.
MED avoids the implication of assigning the DNF result to a swimmer. The DNF implies that the swimmer did not finish because of fatigue, seasickness, injury, fear, or other issue under their own control. But the MED is a special designation that can be used when the swimmer does not finish due to a medical emergency, complication, or problem not under their control.
ABT is another proposed open water swimming acronym that refers to an incompletion of a swim due to various situations outside the control or decision of the swimmer. This can include the dangerous climatic conditions (e.g., lightning or a squall), the presence or threat of marine life (e.g., sharks or orcas), or other unexpected accidents, conditions, or situations during a swim that lead to the organizers aborting the swim and pulling or ordering the swimmers out of the water through no fault of, or individual decision by, the swimmers.
Similar to the MED designation, the ABT designation avoids the implication of a DNF assigned to a swimmer. The DNF implies that the swimmer did not finish because of fatigue, seasickness, injury, fear, or other issue under their own control. But both the MED and ABT are special designations that can be used when the swimmer does not finish due to a weather, marine life, or complications not under their direct control.
During the 2007 World Championships 25 km race in St. Kilda Beach in Melbourne, Australia, an unexpected squall arose in mid-race and the officials and swimmers had to immediately evacuate the course [read a first-person account here]. Through the fast action of the Australian lifesavers, everyone was safely taken off the course, but the equipment and pontoons on the course were either destroyed or lost.*
* The second half of the race resumed the following morning which saw Britta Kamrau of Germany win gold over silver medalist Kalyn Keller of the USA, and bronze medalist Ksenia Popova of Russia.
Cumulative Time of the Women’s 2007 World Championships 25 km Race (conducted over 2 days due to weather)
- Britta Kamrau, Germany 5:37:11.66
- Kalyn Keller, USA 5:39:39.62
- Ksenia Popova, Russia 5:39:51.51
- Angela Maurer, Germany 5:40:00.13
- Natalia Pankina, Russia 5:40:01.87
- ana Pechanová, Czech Republic 5:47:23.28
- Shelley Clark, Australia 5:47:24.88
- Laura la Piana, Italy 6:07:21.71
- Malwina Bukszowana, Poland 6:11:31.54
- Evelien Sohl, Netherlands 6:24:25.82
- Alessandra Romiti DNF
- Darija Pop, Montenegro DNF
- Eva Berglund, Sweden DNF
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