A sport is defined by the artificial limitations placed on it. I could break the world record for the mile run if I were allowed to drive a car or use a bicycle instead of my legs. At some level there is a subjective evaluation of what the sport is about, and an evolving attempt to allow technological improvements to enter where they are in the spirit of the sport (like grippier gloves in football) and ban them when they change the nature of the sport too much (like superchargers in F1).