Skeleton's governing body was "forced to step in" on Wednesday after rival nations accused the British team of "cheating by using illegal suits to improve performance," according to Ben Bloom of the London TELEGRAPH. The Int'l Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation asked to inspect Team GB's new high-tech aerodynamic suits after a "number of countries had complained that they were illegally giving British sliders an unfair advantage." The suits, which feature drag-resistant ridges to aid aerodynamics, have been brought in just for the Pyeongchang Games and "produced a sudden improvement in the performance of British athletes this week during pre-competition training." However, the IBSF "attempted to defuse" the situation at a meeting of all skeleton team captains on Wednesday when they confirmed the suits had been "cleared for competition." The suits were developed by aerodynamic consultancy TotalSim. The company has been "heavily involved in developing state of the art equipment used by Team GB cyclists at the last three Olympics" (TELEGRAPH, 2/14). REUTERS' Ian Ransom reported British skeleton racer Jerry Rice, who will make his Olympic debut in the men's event starting on Thursday, said that the team's equipment was "checked and signed off" by tournament organizers. Rice said, "It doesn't bother me, people can speculate as much as they'd like. The fact of the matter is that the British guys are fast because we're good at sliding, no other reason. We're innovators, we do everything we can to be as fast as we can be" (REUTERS, 2/14). In London, Seward & Al-Samarrai reported four-time Olympic alpine ski racer Chemmy Alcott suggested that the complaints made by other teams is "just a tactical ploy to get in the heads of the Team GB athletes." She said, "I think competitors are getting a bit worried. This is controversial but I think they [British opponents] have started a ripple of chat to get into our athletes' heads" (DAILY MAIL, 2/14).
