The False Start

A player starts drinking while their teammate's cup is still in the air, or still spinning on its rim. What is the penalty?

The Commission found that most tables treat a false start one of three ways: they ignore it, they disqualify the whole team, or they argue about it until the other team finishes. The first rewards cheating. The second ends the game over one player's enthusiasm. The third is not a ruling.

The Commission also reviewed the moment a flip is complete. A cup that is still moving has not landed, however confident its owner looks.

After review, the ruling on the field is as follows. A player may start drinking only when their teammate's cup has come to rest upside down, mouth flat on the table.

A player who starts early has false-started. Their cup is refilled to where it started, and they begin again once their teammate's flip has landed. Their team is not disqualified. It is merely slower, which is punishment enough in a relay.

If the teammate's flip then fails to land, the false-starter waits, full cup in hand, and thinks about what they have done.

The ruling stands.

The Official rolls both forearms over each other in front of the chest.