Plastic underwear row sends competitive skiing downhill The undergarments of Tina Maze, a Slovakian skier who came second at a major event in Austria, were subject to intense scrutiny last week after she was accused of wearing a banned design. The plastic one-piece was rigorously inspected by officials who ruled that the clothing broke no rules, despite accusations that the fabric had given her an aerodynamic edge over her rivals. "My underwear is obviously too sexy for the Swiss," Ms Maze said in retaliation to the jibes. Following the incident, a complaint was lodged by the Swiss Skiing Federation to the International Skiing Federation (FIS), its parent organisation. Air permeability of the fabric appears to be at the centre of the row, and although Maze's undergarments were deemed admissible, the FIS concluded that part of the membrane was banned under the rules. "It is recommended that the one-piece undergarment not be used by any athletes in competition," was the final verdict, based on evidence that the fabric was bad for the skin. Earlier this season, Gunter Hujara, the men's race director for FIS, swung a piece of blue plastic underwear in the air, made from a banned hybrid neoprene sheath, as a warning that anyone caught wearing them would be disqualified.