Rock expert to oversee stone-skimming after cheating scandal
Several competitors were disqualified last year for tampering so an expert geologist has been brought in.
The stone skimming competition has taken place on the island of Easdale for 42 years [Alamy] An expert geologist will oversee this year's world stone skimming championships after the 2025 contest was rocked by a cheating scandal which saw several competitors disqualified for tampering. More than 2,200 people, from 27 countries, attended last year's event on the tiny island of Easdale off the west coast of Scotland. Rules state that stones must come from naturally occurring island slate, however some were found to have been ground into a "suspiciously circular" shape to help them bounce on water.
Kyle Mathews, the competition's official Tossmaster, told the BBC he had enlisted specialist support from a rock expert to help protect the integrity of the competition. [AFP via Getty Images] "This geologist has got stones in their bones, they know stones through and through" Mathews said. "I have full confidence that they will be able to spot anything that has been manually shaped rather than shaped by the beautiful Atlantic ocean waves hitting the beaches of Easdale.
" Mathews said he was not able to reveal who the geologist was. "We are going to keep our cards up our sleeves, we don't want to give anyone an advantage there," he said. Stones are measured by judges using the "ring of truth" [Getty Images] The Easdale stone-skimming event was first organised in 1983 by island resident Albert Baker and, after a break, was revived in 1997 by community group Eilean Eisdeal.
This year's event will take place on 5 September. Entrants choose their own stones and judges use a measuring device, the "ring of truth", to ensure they are no bigger than three inches in diameter. Each competitor is allowed three skims and stones must bounce at least twice on water before sinking.