Alshammar questions rules over swimsuits

SYDNEY: Swedish swimmer Therese Alshammar has claimed the regulations that resulted in her being stripped of a world record time at the Australian championships were bordering on sexist.

Alshammar, the reigning world champion in the 50m butterfly, went under her own world record time during a heat at the trials on Tuesday, but was later disqualified when technical delegates discovered she had worn two swimsuits during the race.

National and international governing bodies for the sport recently introduced rules banning swimmers from wearing more than one swimsuit in races, aiming to stop competitors gaining any advantage in buoyancy by using multiple layers of the latest hi-tech swimwear.