"No swimmer is permitted to wear or use any device or substance to enhance speed, pace, buoyancy, or endurance during a race (such as webbed gloves, fins, power bands, adhesive substances, snorkels, neoprene caps, etc.). Goggles may be worn, and rubdown oil applied if not considered excessive by the referee. Medical identification items may be worn. Therapeutic elastic tape is prohibited. Any other kind of tape on the body is not permitted unless approved by the referee."
You know, that might be a little hole in the rulebook... there's a couple clauses that suggest that they wouldn't be allowed but nothing that specifically calls out electronics:
"Swimwear shall include only a swimsuit, no more than two caps, and goggles (a nose clip and ear plugs are allowed). Armbands or legbands shall not be regarded as parts of the swimsuit and are not allowed." (Depends how you define "swimwear" - if it means anything that is worn, then that would mean you can't wear necklaces, rings, etc.)
And the clause that AvsFan cited: "No swimmer is permitted to wear or use any device or substance to enhance speed, pace, buoyancy, or endurance during a race (such as webbed gloves, fins, power bands, adhesive substances, snorkels, neoprene caps, etc.). Goggles may be worn, and rubdown oil applied if not considered excessive by the referee. Medical identification items may be worn. Therapeutic elastic tape is prohibited. Any other kind of tape on the body is not permitted unless approved by the referee." (This is the money line, I think. Though it *seems* to be referring more to physical performance aids more than mental pace aids in the example.)
FWIW, at 2018 spring nats, a couple of my teammates got DQd for tape holding their shoulder straps together. So the swimwear issue does seem to be something that the officials actively keep an eye on.
In any case, Form goggles and similar are DEFINITELY not allowed.
orca, if they are caught looking at it during their event, they most certainly should be DQ'ed. If they are looking at a watch and aren't getting caught, they're still breaking the rules but got lucky. Alert officials should typically ask swimmers to remove it before the event to prevent this kind of scenario from occuring.
