The following article is from: http://www.doubleazone.com/2009/05/fina_was_right_to_ban_super-fa.php

The international swimming federation, FINA, has challenged the validity of 146 types of high-tech swim suits. FINA believes the suits create an unnatural competitive advantage and are largely responsible for the more than 100 swimming world records set in the last 18 months.

The group tested 348 suits, banning 10 outright. Manufactures of the remaining 136 suits will be required to make modifications in the next 30 days if they hope to keep their suits on elite swimmers’ backs. The NCAA currently does not ban these suits, but that may change with FINA’s announcement.

We’ve been debating the merits of these high-tech, super efficient suits since last July when swimmers were breaking world records at an unprecedented pace in the U.S. swimming trials. At the time, we asked if the suits amount to “technology doping.”
In my mind, the answer is clear. The suits are an unnatural enhancement, and I’m confident FINA made the right move by requiring these changes.

Still, not everyone agrees. In a recent blog post, Carnegie Mellon swimming student-athlete Josh Plotnik asks, “Is it acceptable to just stop all progression in the sport, and leave everything where it is? Would the sport have to take a step back in its progress and return to paper suits? Once suits get banned, lines will get cloudier and it will be less clear to firmly create a new line.”

While I agree with Josh that it’s difficult to turn back the clock once innovation has been adopted, it’s not without precedent. The NCAA and many professional organizations regularly make rules that rein in the use of technology in order to create a more fair and equitable playing field.

The litmus should always be whether or not the technology in question enhances the athlete well beyond the natural expectations of performance. In this case, the super-fast suits–not the athletes wearing them–seem to be responsible for these shattered records.

Of course, our society appreciates technological advancement, so it will likely seem (at least for a little while) that the sport has taken a step back. Is that the right move? FINA seems to be OK with it and swimmers around the country will soon need to get on board.

Above: Simmers at the FINA World Cup compete in high- tech suits for what would be one of the final times.

1) It makes a mockery of world records – At one point in the Olympics, 42 of the 48 swimming medals awarded had been won by athletes wearing Speedo’s LZR. Of the 105 world records set in 2008, 79 came by those in the suit. Now that other companies’ products are making the LZR yesterday’s news, expect even more records to fall at the World Championships in Rome. World records should be sacred marks that rarely go down. Instead, any race that doesn’t end in a WR is looked at as a disappointment. That needs to change.

2) Technology is only going to get better – Where does this end? Golf and tennis are two sports that have allowed new advances in equipment to change the game, but even they have rules banning certain aspects of clubs, balls and rackets. Swimsuit manufacturing is as lawless as wild west. What happens if TYR makes a suit that fully repels water and allows a swimmer to float across the water like a hoverboard? What then, FINA?

3) As time goes on, it will become harder to ban the suits – This should have been nipped in the bud two years ago. Because it wasn’t, other companies invested millions to catch up with Speedo. In turn, Speedo is now probably spending millions to make the next generation of fast suits. This will go on and on. The more money these companies spend on suits, the harder it will be for FINA to ban then. Swimming is beholden to these companies (for advertising, sponsorships, merchandising, etc.) They would have been mad had there been strict regulations set a few years back. Now that they’ve spent all this money, mad won’t begin to cover it.

4) The high-tech suits exclude a great deal of young swimmers – The full-body version of Speedo’s LZR (which is fast becoming obsolete) retails for over $500. That price is irrelevant to top swimmers, who get their suits for free from sponsorship deals. But at the junior levels, where good swimmers turn into great swimmers, the price shuts out a majority of athletes. 

5) Because this is what people are talking about – They say that any press is good press. And the fact that people are talking about swimming, no matter what the topic, would normally be a great thing before any U.S. Nationals. But this is the first Nationals in the post-Beijing era, at a time when swimming has more eyes on it than in any non-Olympic year in history. Attention doesn’t need to be paid to swimsuits. The faster they get though, the more attention they’ll get.

Article From:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125721159786824325.html

Competition was fierce at a July swimming meet in Thousand Oaks, Calif. At the starting buzzer, Clay Evans, 56 years old, dived into the pool, dressed in a get-up like the one he wore in the 1976 Olympics: a flimsy nylon Speedo bikini.

It took less than 2½ minutes for the Los Angeles athlete to fall hopelessly behind the times.

Michael Mann of Centennial, Colo., flew past his opponents, swaddled shoulder-to-ankle in a black neoprene bodysuit. Mr. Mann, 55, won the 400-meter individual medley race and set a world record for his age group, 55 to 59. Mr. Mann set new world marks in the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle while Mr. Evans steamed.

Mr. Mann admits he’s swimming faster times than he did in college. The suits, he says, are available to anyone with the money to buy them. “You can’t say it’s cheating,” he says. “It’s technology.”

In fact, it’s organic chemistry and it has upset the aquatics world. By making new suits with polyurethane and neoprene, materials more buoyant and less porous than traditional spandex, swimsuit companies touched off the biggest flap since East German athletes started bulking up on steroids. The fight has spread beyond the world’s elite swimmers, who wrangled over the new attire this past summer.

The 50,000 members of U.S. Masters Swimming are divided over polymers, too. Some members of this association for swimmers 18 and older are accusing their fellows of unfair propulsion and are pushing for a ban. But pressure from many senior swimmers has kept the suits legal for now.

As tight as a corset, the new speed suits make the wearer sleeker and more streamlined. They soak up less water, reducing drag. They compress muscle and can shave off seconds. “You’re…on top of the water,” says Joel Stager, an exercise physiologist at Indiana University in Bloomington and a Masters swimmer. “Your legs feel effortless.”

The suits are credited with — or blamed for — 196 new world records since February 2008. Polyurethane bodysuits caused a ruckus when the sport’s ruling body, the Fédération Internationale de Natation, or the International Swimming Federation, known as FINA, decided in July it would ban the suits as of January 2010 following pressure from coaches.

The federation’s decision doesn’t yet apply to Masters swimmers, because there are different rules for those competitions. The organization is expected to tackle the matter come January. In September, U.S. Masters voted to comply with a speed-suit ban if FINA imposes one.

For many of these adult Masters competitors, speed suits are a fountain of youth. The costume magically helps the wearer shed decades and seconds off the clock. The suits provide a kind of support that elite athletes never have to think about. They suck in nonaerodynamic paunches, flatten aging flab and bolster arthritic knees.

Alex Boutov of La Grange, Ill., tried to persuade his fellow teammates to boycott the suits for a local meet. Unsuccessful, he then slipped one on to swim 1,500 meters. “As soon as I put the suit on, I shaved two minutes,” said the 53-year-old. “I couldn’t believe the clock.”

Men say the new suits, which can cost $500, have the added benefit of eliminating the need for a shave. “My wife says when I shave my body, it’s like making love to a porcupine for three months after that,” says Gary Hall Sr., 58, a Masters member and three-time Olympian.

Still, all the new records have some officials fretting. Carolyn Boak, a member of the U.S. Masters rules committee from Woodlands, Texas, says friends implored her not to support a suit ban. But Ms. Boak says added speed from special swimwear is not unlike extra home runs from baseball players using steroids.

It’s anyone’s guess how the federation will vote. “FINA is a somewhat, I won’t use ‘bizarre,’ but a somewhat odd organization,” says Ms. Boak, 64. “Why did they allow these buoyant type suits in the first place?” A FINA spokesman said he wouldn’t comment.

Many of the suits’ fans say that it’s ridiculous for the federation to bar them after letting the world see what they can do. Cycling organizations, they point out, approved lighter metals, transforming bicycles and shortening race times. FINA “opened up the can of worms. It’s too late,” says Rowdy Gaines, an Olympic gold medalist who is a paid endorser for the suit maker Blueseventy LLC. “Accept that the suit is a technological advance in our sport.”

With the suits still allowed for Masters, even some purists have fallen under their spell. Mr. Stager, the Indiana exercise physiologist, is appalled by their use. “I am philosophically opposed to it, absolutely positively,” Mr. Stager says.

Still, as he readied to swim the 400-meter medley relay at the Masters national championships in August, he put his feelings aside. He donned an Arena X-Glide, one of the most buoyant of the polymer-powered body wraps. “If they’re keeping records, why would you handicap yourself?” His three teammates in the event, including Mr. Hall, who also wants them banned, suited up in similar attire.

As Mr. Hall finished the butterfly, Mr. Stager, 56, dived in and began a furious freestyle. When he touched the wall, the team had set a new national record of four minutes, 27.93 seconds. His feat sparked another competition. Within minutes, three swimmers were jockeying to buy Mr. Stager’s suit, he says. “One guy stopped me and said, ‘I’ll give you $300. Cash. Right now.’ ” Mr. Stager says he declined.

Mr. Stager’s X-Glide has gathered no dust. Friend and colleague Dave Tanner borrowed the bodysuit and headed to Australia last month to compete in the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games.

Nine years ago, Mr. Tanner, 59, held the world record in his age group for the 200-meter butterfly.

Wrapped in the suit, Mr. Tanner won the Masters event in 2:37:52, beating similarly clad opponents. Mr. Tanner says he’s cheating. “But so is everyone else.”

Above: Natalie Coughlin and Dara Torres prepare for a race. Natalie Coughlin, who is wearing the LZR, is roughly 20 years younger than Dara Torres.

Above: Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics wearing a low tech suit, no cap, and no goggles. He also raced with a full mustache.

The article bow is from http://www.doubleazone.com/2008/07/is_speedos_new_swimsuit_techno.php….

Watching the U.S. Olympic swim trials, you likely noticed some common threads: Michael Phelps winning, swimmers setting world records, and snazzy new swimsuits. Phelps’ conquests are no shock to anyone–he has a chance to become the most decorated Olympian in history–but I can’t help wondering if the new slinky attire has made stars from otherwise average, would-be Olympians.

Success in swimming is measured in hundredths of a second. Small advantages can make big differences. According to an article from the Miami Herald, there have been 38 world records set since Speedo introduced its LZR Racer suit in February. A study cited in the article found that the drag-diminishing suits lowered times by 1.9 to 2.2 percent–the equivalent of about one second in a freestyle 100 meter race.

The new suits “allow far less talented swimmers to go fast,” Olympic gold medalist Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands told the Herald.

The impact at the trials has been significant. Six world records were recorded. In the 400-meter individual medley on Sunday, Phelps topped his previous world record by nearly a full second. No big deal given his remarkable talent, right? Well, Phelps wasn’t the only one to come in under record time. The second place finisher in that same race, Ryan Lochte, also broke Phelps’ previous world record. In the same event on the women’s side, Katie Hoff also set a world record.

It gets even crazier. Monday, in the women’s 100-meter backstroke preliminaries, Hayley McGregory took the world record away from fellow American Natalie Coughlin. McGregory’s moment of glory was short-lived because in the very next heat, Coughlin took the world record back. Coughlin bettered her record on Tuesday, setting the new mark at 58.97.

On the men’s side Aaron Peirsol also set a world record in the 100m backstroke. His time of 52.89 was .09 second faster than the world record he set at the world championship last year.

Although Peirsol credits the strong field for pushing swimmers to new heights, his coach had other ideas. Obviously,” Eddie Reese told the Kansas City Star, “the suits are helping.”

Clearly, the line between technological innovations and pure talent is becoming blurred. There’s no doubt that technology has improved sport, but do these suits take things too far? Does this amount to, as the Herald suggests, “technology doping?”

And what’s the impact on college sports? Speedo has patented the swimsuits and competitors in the industry will be unable to copy the LZR technology. If a school has a contract with a different clothing company, their competitive edge could be sacrificed. Some institutions will undoubtedly be stocked with Speedo’s gear, while others won’t. Even if there aren’t corporate relationships to consider, the suits cost around $500, which would likely prove cost prohibitive.

Could innovations, like the LZR swimsuit, inadvertently create a class system in intercollegiate athletics?

Above: Michael Phelps wearing LZR

Is access to equipment going to be a problem?

One of the big fears is that some swimmers will be disadvantaged as a result of not having great equipment. For example, Canada’s swimmers are going to have to do without the suit for a while. Despite being sponsored by Speedo, there are only a handful of the LZR Racers in Canada, and they are being passed around for trial use. They are promised the suit at a later stage, after the Canadian national trials, however. According to the coach of one of Canada’s best swimmers, Brent Hayden, it’s not a massive issue until Beijing, when it really will count, but there is without question concern. His quote, from this article:

“The only thing we don’t want to be is to be feeling like we’re being treated any less fairly than any of the countries in the world that have access to this suit,” said Johnson. “But we were told that the suit wasn’t available. The question now is: If it’s not available, how come everybody has it?”

In their defence, Speedo Canada have said that they did not wish to have a situation where certain swimmers at the upcoming Canadian trials had the suit, but not others. That’s fine, but those swimmers might well be asking why they are receiving suits months after rivals in Europe and Australia, having to settle instead for a few trial suits?

All this does not do much for the fear that the suit will divide the swimming world into “the haves” and the “have nots”. This is a quote by Kieren Perkins, former 1500m legend and Olympic champion, which you can read the article described above.

From: http://blog.djsports.com/2009/03/16/the-first-step-in-regulating-the-speedo-lzr-and-blue-seventy-nero/

As the world governing body for aquatic sports, FINA has the authority and responsibility to issue regulations applying to its five disciplines. This includes the determination of the specifications applying to sport equipment. In the context of the discussion in connection with swimsuits development and their alleged impact on sport, FINA reaffirms that it will continue monitoring the evolution of the sport equipment with the main objective of keeping the integrity of the sport.  

In doing so, FINA wishes to recall that the main and core principle is that swimming is a sport essentially based on the physical performance of the athlete. This is the fundament which FINA has and will continue to preserve as its main objective and priority. FINA brings together athletes from around the world to compete on equal conditions and thereby decides the winner by the athlete who is physically the best.  

This does not however imply that swimming, like all other sports, should not integrate the natural progress and improvements in technology where this helps, bettering the conditions under which the athletes compete and optimising their athletic performances. 

FINA also acknowledges the significance of the contributions manufacturers are bringing to the sport at all levels, including to the federations, athletes, coaches and event organisers. This co-operation is essential to continue to develop and remain a major sport worldwide.  In a rapidly evolving world, regulations need to progress as well to address new emerging issues. Before any discussion arose, FINA had initiated a process in view of adapting the equipment regulations. To improve their quality and credibility, FINA has not only consulted the manufacturers but has also sought the support of independent scientific experts of worldwide reputation who will notably assist in the determination of meaningful tests.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Based on the most recent FINA ruling that elite swimsuits must be made of 100% textile only fabric beginning on January 1, 2010, the Speedo LZR Racer may not be used in FINA competitions after this date. If USA Swimming and NCAA follow FINA’s mandate they will also ban the suit. It is our understanding that effective immediately this suit is not allowed in high school competitions in the USA. We recommend visiting www.fina.org, www.usaswimming.org, www.nfhs.org www.nfhs.org and www.ncaa.org for up-to-date information.
• World’s fastest swimsuit – result of most extensive performance research and development in swimwear history.
• World’s first fully bonded bodysuit. Full-length bonded seams ultrasonically welded together creates low profile silhouette and reduces skin friction drag.
• Cut from unique three piece 3D pattern to fit body shape.
• Engineered to create a Hydro Form Compression System. Internal core stabilizer supports and holds swimmer maintaining a good body position in water. Assists in achieving “high” streamlined form for faster performance.
• Made from Speedo’s own LZR Pulse material – developed especially for Speedo Fastskin FS-PRO suit.
• World’s lightest woven swim fabric. Highly compressive, water-repellent, chlorine resistant, and fast drying.
• Features LZR panels, an ultra-thin PU membrane precision cut by laser into panels then embedded into base of the fabric at strategic points to create “Hydro Form Compression.” Optimum streamlined shape and drag reduction.
• Ultra low profile zip bonded into suit and hidden inside to maintain smooth surface shape
• Care Instructions: Rinse immediately in cold water after swimming, Machine Wash Warm, Do not use Bleach, Do not use Iron, Do not Dry Clean, Dry flat
• Import

The Speedo LZR clearly gives an advantage to those who wear it. Unfortunately, not everybody can afford these suits, and therefore, in the interest of competition these suits should be banned.

Above: The Water Cube in Beijing was home of the 2008 Olympics.