Members
- Membership is never required for ratification.
- Whether AMSA offers membership, and on what terms, is under discussion.
- General meetings hold the committee to account.
How AMSA is set up, and exactly where it stands
AMSA is an independent, nonprofit voluntary association being established in South Africa, with a continent-wide mandate. This page separates what the founders have decided from what is still proposed, and shows the status of every governing document.
Where AMSA stands today
Status as at 21 October 2026. This statement is updated as each step is completed.
Founding phase · Nothing formally adopted yet- Legal form
- Independent, nonprofit voluntary association, being established in South Africa.
- Mandate
- Continent-wide. AMSA is not a competitive swimming federation and does not claim authority over organised open-water racing.
- Constitution
- Being revised to reflect the October 2026 decisions. Not adopted.
- Founding resolutions
- Being revised. No founding meeting has been held.
- Committee
- Founding Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson confirmed. The committee is not yet fully constituted.
- Swimming rules
- Draft rules, in preparation. Not adopted.
- NPO registration
- Planned after adoption. AMSA is not a registered nonprofit organisation.
- Affiliations
- None. AMSA is not affiliated with, endorsed by or accredited by any other organisation.
- Ratification
- Applications opening soon, once governance and rules are adopted. No swim has been accepted, approved or ratified.
- Observers
- Observer approval and accreditation are not yet operational.
- Address
- 18 Bond Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Who leads AMSA
Two founding office-bearers are confirmed. Further committee members are being invited, with the aim of representation from across the continent. The final committee composition, voting arrangements and administrative positions are still under discussion.
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Confirmed
Founding Chairperson
Carina Bruwer
Founder of AMSA. Convenes and chairs meetings, oversees governance and represents AMSA.
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Confirmed
Vice-Chairperson, Swimming Operations
Derrick Frazer
Leads route development and operational liaison with observers. The role gives no authority to decide ratifications.
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Under discussion
Further committee members
To be announced
Members are named here only once they have accepted and their appointment is confirmed.
Adviser · Not a committee member
Dave Welensky
Technical Adviser, Swim Ops
Owns and operates Swim Ops independently of AMSA. He is not a committee member and has no committee vote. He may attend relevant committee meetings by invitation to advise on technology, observation, accreditation and automation, and takes no part in decisions on commercial arrangements involving Swim Ops or on ratification outcomes.
- No committee voting rights
- Attends relevant meetings by invitation only
- Steps aside from Swim Ops commercial decisions and from every ratification outcome
How AMSA would be governed
The intended model, while the Constitution is revised. Committee composition and voting are still under discussion.
Proposed, not adoptedCommittee
- Founding Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson (Swimming Operations) confirmed.
- Further members, voting arrangements and administrative positions under discussion.
- Two authorised people approve every payment.
Independent review
- The committee appoints independent ratification reviewers, but never decides individual swims itself.
- Two non-conflicted reviewers must agree on a standard application.
- Disagreement, unusual evidence or exceptional cases go to a fresh three-person panel.
- Appeals are heard by people not involved in the original decision.
Conflicts of interest
- Office-bearers, advisers, reviewers and volunteers declare conflicts promptly, and at least annually.
- A conflicted person withdraws from the discussion and decision.
- Founders and office-bearers have no role in reviewing their own swims.
- Declarations and recusals are minuted.
Proposed operating framework
Each position is labelled. A Founders’ decision has been settled by the founders but still has to be written into formally adopted rules or policy. Proposed and Provisional positions may change. Nothing here is yet an adopted rule, and AMSA will not accept or certify any swim until the rules are adopted.
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Ratification scope
AMSA’s primary ratification mandate covers solo marathon swims of 10 km or longer.
Founders’ decision -
Shorter crossings
Shorter, geographically significant crossings may be considered for a separate designation, the “AMSA Recognised Crossing”. They are not ratified marathon swims and will never be presented as such on the website, in the records or on certificates. Eligibility and route definitions are not yet decided.
Provisional -
Swim categories
Two principal swimwear categories, Traditional Skins and Assisted, with separate records.
Founders’ decision -
Free ratification
AMSA intends to offer ratification free of charge.
Founders’ decision -
Swim Ops
Swim Ops will be AMSA’s designated observation and evidence platform, subject to independent approval and appropriate safeguards. Swim Ops licensing is separate from AMSA ratification, and AMSA receives no commission or other financial benefit from it.
Founders’ decision -
Lean, online operation
Automated membership and observer administration, digital swim registration, standardised observation, automated evidence submission and independent digital ratification workflows, with minimal manual administration.
Founders’ decision -
Observation
At least one independent, AMSA-approved observer on every swim.
Proposed -
GPS
A GPS track wherever reasonably practicable, with a documented process for exceptions.
Proposed -
Independent review
Two non-conflicted reviewers must agree. Disagreement, unusual evidence or exceptional cases go to a fresh three-person panel.
Proposed -
Appeals
Heard by people who were not involved in the original decision.
Proposed -
Founders’ own swims
Founders and office-bearers may submit swims, but take no part in reviewing or deciding them, and their recusal is recorded.
Proposed -
Swims ratified elsewhere
Documented with the original ratifying body named. Never automatically treated as AMSA-ratified.
Proposed -
Membership
Membership is never required for ratification. Whether AMSA offers membership, and on what terms, is still to be decided.
Under discussion -
Committee
Final committee composition, voting arrangements and administrative positions.
Under discussion
Swim Ops collects evidence. AMSA decides.
Founders’ decision · Safeguards to be adoptedSwim Ops will be AMSA’s designated observation and evidence platform, subject to independent approval and appropriate safeguards. It is owned and operated independently by AMSA’s technical adviser, Dave Welensky.
Swim Ops licensing is separate from AMSA ratification. AMSA receives no commission or other financial benefit from it. AMSA alone assigns reviewers and decides ratifications, appeals, records, certificates and observer accreditation; no platform can grant any of them.
No agreement or data connection with Swim Ops is in place yet.
How evidence will be handled →Every governing document and its status
Status is shown for each document as a whole. None has been adopted.
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Constitution
Name and status, objects, membership, general meetings, the committee, independence and ratification, conflicts of interest, finance, records, amendments and dissolution.
An earlier draft has been withdrawn while it is revised to reflect the founders’ October 2026 decisions. Not adopted. Legal review against the NPO Act is still to be done.
Being revised -
Founding meeting minutes and resolutions
The resolutions that would establish AMSA, adopt the Constitution, record the founding office-bearers and authorise NPO registration and banking.
No founding meeting has been held.
Being revised -
Operating policy
How AMSA runs as a lean, online organisation: free ratification, digital registration and evidence, automated administration and the Swim Ops safeguards.
The proposed operating framework is summarised on this page. Free ratification takes effect only once this policy is adopted.
In preparation -
Marathon swimming rules
The formally versioned AMSA ruleset: the Traditional Skins and Assisted categories, assistance, feeding, escort vessels, start and finish, timing and evidence.
Draft rules. No rules have been adopted, and no technical specifications are published until they are.
In preparation -
Ratification policy
Eligibility, registration, evidence and observer requirements, independent review, decisions, appeals, publication and the separate AMSA Recognised Crossing designation.
The proposed review model is summarised on this page.
In preparation -
Observer code of conduct
Independence, duties, professional standards and reporting obligations for observers.
In preparation -
Conflict-of-interest policy
How office-bearers, advisers, reviewers and observers declare interests and step aside.
In preparation -
Historical records policy
How AMSA researches, classifies and publishes swims that took place before it existed.
In preparation -
Membership policy
Whether and how AMSA offers membership, and how it is administered. Membership is never a condition of ratification.
In preparation -
Privacy policy
How AMSA collects, stores, uses and protects personal information, in line with POPIA.
In preparation -
Website terms of use
The terms that apply to using this website and its content.
In preparation -
Safety and liability policy
The limits of AMSA’s role, and the responsibilities that stay with swimmers, escorts and organisers.
In preparation
Decisions still pending
Until these are settled, AMSA will not open applications, publish official records or issue certificates.
- 1 Final committee composition, voting arrangements and administrative positions
- 2 The date of the founding meeting, and signature of the Constitution and resolutions
- 3 The revised Constitution and founding resolutions, reflecting the October 2026 decisions
- 4 Legal review of the Constitution against the NPO Act
- 5 Adoption of the swimming rules, including the Traditional Skins and Assisted categories
- 6 Eligibility, name and route definitions for the AMSA Recognised Crossing
- 7 Adoption of the operating policy, including free ratification
- 8 Appointment of independent reviewers
- 9 The safeguards and independent approval for Swim Ops as the designated platform
- 10 Whether AMSA offers membership, and on what terms
- 11 Privacy and consent, website terms and safety policies
- 12 Banking arrangements and NPO registration, after adoption
Something to add to the drafts?
Swimmers, observers, officials and organisations are welcome to comment while the documents are still drafts.