Earlier this year, FINA, the global governing body for swimming, decided to start tracking Junior World Records in long course meters events. This November at the Extraordinary Congress in Doha, Qatar, they will consider recognition of Junior World Records in short course meters as well.
The current records (our best stab at which can be seen here) are based on male swimmers who are 15-18 based on age at December 31st of the same year and female swimmers aged 14-17 as of December 31st of the same year.
When FINA began accepting Junior World Records on April 1, there was some controversy as many of the best swimmers’ best junior marks (Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin) were missed. They at least, though, had a logical starting point of the Junior World Championship Records.
Coming up with a starting point for Short Course Meters Records would be a more complex task, as there is no Short Course Junior Worlds.
All Junior World Records at present are subjected to the same requirements of evidence as regular World Records, including being done at public meets, all pool measurement requirements, and doping controls within 24 hours of the completion of the swim.
