FINA rule SW 10.8 goes: “No swimmer shall be permitted to use or wear any device that may aid his speed, buoyancy or endurance during a competition (such as webbed gloves, flippers, fins, etc.). Goggles may be worn.” Interpreting this general rule is where the potential problem really lies. Reducing coefficient of friction to a value below that of bare skin obviously “aids his speed.” On the other hand, isn’t a direct source of propulsion (unless the “Gripper” concept is true). Reducing the density of the legs unquestionably “aids his buoyancy” by altering the body’s position inside the swimming pool, however the swimsuit itself is the same density as water.
The decision of the international governing body of swimming to approve these swimsuits is believed to be rushed because of the producers’ late debut of their swimsuits, as a matter of fact, United States Swimming (USS) had banned them from the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games trials since just one producer met a USS deadline in order to ensure all swimmers equal chance to have the swimsuit. This ban was lifted because of the pressure from the producers and to avoid a potential grievance. Swimming purists claim that the innovative Fastskin swimsuits have to be considered gear and not clothing. In accordance to the interpretation of The International Governing Body of Swimming rule SW 10.8, these swimsuits could not have been approved prematurely.
The FastSkin appears to help performance; what’s more, the level of that help is quite clear. How many of this year’s world records are directly because of this swimsuit is not quite clear, on the other hand. There’re three distance-swimming records that this suit should have helped break, however, didn’t. 10-year-old distance records weren’t even approached. Obviously, there’re factors other than the swimsuit such as fast pools, exercise and technique.
Should One Get This High-Tech Suit?
Now that the 2000 Sydney Olympics are long over, these new swimsuits are widely available to the public. Are these swimsuits just for top-class athletes, or should far less elite professional swimmers or those who swim just for fun and exercise get one? When you get down to the point, it all depends on how much an athlete is willing to pay to get the latest and very expensive technology in the pool, such as LZR Racer Elite. These swimsuits will make sense for serious professional athletes because it really gives them an advantage. It makes little or no sense, on the other hand, for someone who actually has no intention of competing and swims for fun, recreation and exercise. Actually, the performance doesn't really matter when swimming is for fun, recreation and enjoyment; so finding a less expensive alternative such as Aquablade or FastSkin II is fine.
