An interesting one Down Under. A conundrum for FINA, possibly, as an appeal follows. Therese Alshammar, of Sweden, has been "stripped of a world record on Tuesday when it was discovered she wore two swimsuits during a race at the Australian national championships".

Swimming Australia officials disqualified Alshammar after a five-hour investigation ruled she had broken the newly introduced rule on swimwear. The 31-year-old immediately lodged an appeal against her disqualification.

Alshammar, racing in heats and unable as a foreigner to race in finals, clocked 25.44sec in the 50 'fly. That's 0.02 seconds off her 25.46 of 2007.

Alshammar, reigning world champion in the 50m 'fly, was ordered to appear before Swimming Australia officials after they viewed a television replay showing her wearing two suits. Swimming Australia banned the use of multiple swimsuits in December in an effort to address concerns over buoyancy.

The sport's world governing, FINA, was said to have introduced a similar rule last week, Friday the 13th, of March. Indeed it did - and announced the news on March 14. Where Alshammar may base her appeal is clear: there is no mention in the Dubai Charter of "immediate effect", the one-suit reference linked to Rule GR 5.3 because that rule nods to the approvals guidelines that cover suits. There is however, a line that says "valid until December 31, 2009. That ought to be good enough.

On Rule GR 5.3: I was not sure where accuracy lies there when this was filed. I do know. That rule simply says that the rule stands in accordance to the approvals guidelines on suits, which stand as a bye-law. So while the rule is the same as it was, FINA would not have to take out other records, including Federica Pellegrini's 200 free mark, raced in two suits, as the TV pictures confirm, because the approvals guidelines changed on March 14. Same for every relay mark set in Rijeka last December - and much else besides. 

So, it looks as though Pellegrini will go down as the first swimmer to wear two suits on her way to an Olympic crown (not counting "drawers" and other cloth used to protect modesty in a bygone era) and the last to ever set a world record wearing more than one suit.

Alshammer was taken out by Aussie officials - and their rule is clear. Alshammar is unlikely to be lucky should she turn to FINA for help at this moment of transition on suits. What is clear is Australia's message to swimmers: the day of multi-suit wearing is dead. Not before time. Pity that other performance-enhancing practices have not yet been cut out and some swims that did owe something to a suit will stand while others that did owe something to two suits will not. So far.

But that is where we are. "The main point to be made is she wore two swimsuits," Alan Thompson told Aussie hacks. "I can't say for sure whether she was unaware of the rules or not but these rules have been fairly widely reported. This rule in particular was picked up widely around the world as Australia leading the way ... I think people were made very well aware of that.''

To be fair to Alshammar, who had a few days to catch up with developments while on the other side of the world and not inclined to read too far and wide in a language that she speaks fluently but does necessarily turn to for reading matter. I know of heads of federations who were unaware that USA Swimming had recommended suit-rule changes to FINA, and done so very publicly, three weeks after the event. Now that's what I call 'not good enough'. 

Meantime, Australia has a "modesty'' clause in its new guidelines that allows swimmers to wear a brief under their bodysuit. That's not good enough either. I have it on good FINA authority that briefs under bodysuits will not be tolerated. "We decided that that should not be allowed - otherwise where do you stop in trying to accommodate cultural differences, straps for injuries and other things of that nature."