Hungarian Swimmers Disqualified Over Caps at European Cup
Hungarian swimmers Bettina Fabian and David Betlehem were stripped of their medals at the European Open Water Cup due to swim cap logo violations.
Hungarian open-water swimmers Bettina Fabian and David Betlehem were disqualified at the European Open Water Swimming Cup in Ražanac, Croatia, after finishing in medal positions in the 10km races. The disqualification was not due to a rule violation during the race, but rather because of the swim caps they wore.
Fabian finished second in the women's event, while Betlehem crossed the finish line third in the men's event. However, European Aquatics ruled that their swim caps did not comply with regulations regarding the placement of the sponsor's logo, EPAM, leading to their results being annulled.
According to European Aquatics, Fabian was provided with a standard cap in the control room but chose to use her original one, and was warned again right before the start. Betlehem also received a warning, and while three other swimmers changed their non-compliant caps, the Hungarian swimmer kept his because his hands were already wet.
The Hungarian side argued that the guidelines were unclear and that one of the caps had been previously approved by an official. Fabian criticized European Aquatics on social media, writing "Shame on you," while Betlehem claimed other swimmers used similarly marked caps without being penalized.
Both swimmers appealed the decision, but European Aquatics rejected the appeals, noting that the responsibility for complying with equipment rules lies with the athletes and that the appeals were filed more than 30 minutes after the race. The incident has also been referred to the integrity unit for review.
