Hungarian swimmers barred from European Cup podium over illegal caps
Betlehem Dávid (3rd) and Fábián Bettina (2nd) were disqualified from the open-water European Cup after officials deemed their caps non-compliant.
During the open-water segment of the European Cup in razanaci, Hungary’s Betlehem Dávid placed third and Fábián Bettina second, yet neither could stand on the podium. The Magyar Úszó Szövetség reported that both swimmers were given caps bearing a sponsor’s logo, which they marked with "HUN" and wore without the required left-right orientation. A technical delegate shouted at Dávid to flip his cap shortly before the start, but the instruction was missed, and Bettina’s replacement cap never arrived.
In the second lap, officials showed a red flag to Dávid, yet he was allowed to continue, while Bettina was simply noted as disqualified after the race. Both athletes paid a 500-euro fee to appeal the decision, citing procedural inconsistencies and planning to challenge the ruling legally.
