Olympic rules OK - A-Z of sporting regulations

 
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Ben Bryant10 April 2012

From the skimpiness of your shorts to what tea you can drink - the regulations for sports are a minefield for the participants...

A - All sandpits must be carefully sieved - in beach volleyball the sand should "be sifted to an acceptable size, not too coarse, free of stones and dangerous particles. It should not be too fine to cause dust to stick to the skin".

B - Bums must be clearly outlined - in women's artistic gymnastics, "the leotard length can not exceed the horizontal line around the leg, delineated by no more than 2cm below the base of the buttocks".

C - Call your parents before the final - in badminton, if a player's mobile phone rings on court, "it shall be considered to be an offence under Law 16.6.4 and shall be penalised appropriately".

D - Donning a Pepsi T-shirt might see you turned away from the Olympic Park - the organising committee has banned "objects bearing trademarks or other kinds of promotional signs or messages (such as hats, T-shirts, bags) which Locog believes are for promotional purposes" from the site.

E - Exhibitionists should control their urges - in fencing, "under no circumstances should the fencers dress or undress in public except in the case of an accident duly recognised by the doctor on duty".

F - Fast food is the breakfast, lunch and dinner of champions - in the Olympic Park, only McDonald's and Cadburys may sell branded meals and snacks, while Heineken and Coca-Cola have exclusive deals over branded alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

G - Gunslingers afflicted with freakishly long arms must not wear hotpants - in shooting, "shorts may not be shorter than the athlete's fingertips when the arms and fingers are extended at the athlete's side".

H - Horseplay will not be tolerated - decorating a horse's mane with "extravagant items" such as ribbons or flowers is "strictly forbidden" in the incomparably genteel dressage event.

I - Impromptu displays of gymnastics are best avoided - in the pole vault a contestant will be disqualified if "he employs any form of somersaulting whilst running up".

J - Jumping on the podium in your wetsuit is frowned upon - canoe slalom rules state: "To maintain the solemnity and dignity of the presentation ceremony the competitors receiving medals must wear proper clothing (training suits or national uniforms)".

K - Kitchenware, train sets, playing cards and bookmarks with Olympic branding may only be sold by their respective licensed companies - which have paid a premium to associate their ostensibly un-Olympian goods with the Games.

L - Lashing out at competitors on Facebook is not allowed - the International Olympic Committee says that athletes "must not report on competition or comment on the activities of other participants" online.

M - Moustaches are not the preserve of respectable brawlers - in boxing, "beards and moustaches are not allowed". Piercings and any "body accessories" are out too.

N - Noisy synchronised swimmers will be punished - poolside music levels must be monitored to "ensure that no person is exposed to average sound levels exceeding 90 decibels or momentary peak sound levels exceeding 100 decibels".

O - Officiating umpires at the rowing events caught in a downpour may only wear blue raincoats. They must also wear a dark blue blazer, light blue shirt, an International Rowing Federation tie, grey trousers and have the option of donning a dark blue hat. In "very hot" weather, they're allowed to remove the blazer and tie.

P - Pink, blue or shiny balls are an affront to the International Table Tennis Federation - "the ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt".

Q - Quaffing ginseng tea could cost you a podium position. A brew made with the plant can contain the stimulant ephedrine, a banned substance, as 100m runner Linford Christie discovered to his cost at the Games in South Korea in 1988.

R - Remove those tracksuit bottoms - only a skin-tight leotard will cut it on the trampolines: "any other 'dress' which is not skin-tight is not allowed".

S - Skimpy bikinis are a must for any officially accredited beach volleyball game, says the rule book. The top should be "closely fitted to be body" and the briefs must have "a side width no greater than 7cm".

T - Transgender athletes may only compete if they have undergone sex reassignment surgery before puberty.

U - Umbrellas won't spoil your view of the 100m - large ones have been banned from the Games for safety reasons, along with other "blunt instruments" such as bats, flagpoles, sticks and tripods.

V - Vuvuzelas will not be allowed to ruin the Games - horns, whistles, drums, rattles, musical instruments and "any other devices that in the opinion of Locog may disturb a session (including mobile telephones)" are strictly forbidden.

W - Wrestlers cannot compete unless they have a cloth handkerchief tucked under their singlet. The "blood rag" - surely the most macho accessory of any athlete - is there to mop up after injuries.

X - X-rated tweets will not be tolerated - athletes must not to post "vulgar or obscene words or images" to Twitter. Promoting brands, products or services has been outlawed too.

Y - You could be fined up to £20,000 if you're caught trying to sell that elusive 100m final ticket. Resale is only permitted through an official online ticket exchange, due to open next year.

Z - Zippers are for tracksuits, not Speedos - swimsuits must be "in good moral taste" and must conform to a bewildering array of regulations governing porosity, weight, thickness, coatings, compression (zips not permitted), surface roughness and overall hydrodynamic resistance.

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