Most of us think of doping or game-rigging when it comes to cheating in sports. In Scotland this week, it meant a handful of competitors showed up to the World Stone Skimming Championships with suspiciously polished rocks.

The annual event takes place on the island of Easdale, where the rules are simple. Every stone must come straight from the quarry, no bigger than three inches across, and able to bounce at least twice before sinking. But some contestants brought stones that looked oddly perfect, and some had tell-tale signs of a cheater. Judges spotted edges too smooth to be natural and tiny marks that suggested sanding or shaping.

“I got calls from concerned competitors. They were worried people might think that’s how things are done here,” Toss Master Kyle Mathews, who runs the event

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