Who are you wearing? Tog-of-war risks turning sport into farce
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday July 11, 2009
Not all swimsuits are created equal, which is adding to confusion and divided loyalties among competitors, writes Beth Harris. The favourite query on the red carpets of Hollywood who are you wearing? is frequently asked at this week's US swimming championships.Swimmers are experimenting with and sometimes tearing various suits at $US500 ($640) each. An inspector makes sure everyone is wearing only one suit and that it's on a list approved by swimming's governing body.Manufacturers' representatives are fielding compliments, complaints and questions about the sleek suits that have brought faster times, and controversy, to the sport."This is a very suit-oriented meet," Olympic sprinter Cullen Jones said on Thursday.Competitors have to show up a few minutes early before their race in a small room so an inspector can double-check that what they're wearing matches the kind of suit they said they would race in. At a glance, an inspector can see a postage-size FINA stamp on the back of suits that have been deemed legal.Jones is sponsored by Nike, but the company got out of the competitive swimsuit business last year. So he has their permission to try other suits."I'm just trying to get the feel right because the last thing I want to think about is the suit," Jones said. "I've busted three suits so far."Getting into the skintight suits is a challenge in itself, with swimmers needing extra time to dress. They're using plastic bags to slide the material over their feet, and donning gloves to ease their hands and arms inside some models. Another pair of hands is needed to zip and unzip them."I don't like the rubber suits," said Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Cesar Cielo Filho of Brazil, who tried Arena's X-Glide. "I just want to make sure everyone is on the same level as far as equipment."Aaron Peirsol was wearing the once-banned X-Glide when he reclaimed the 100 metres backstroke world record this week.The various suits have their pros and cons. Garrett Weber-Gale said he could feel the zipper on his Speedo LZR breaking as he bent on the starting blocks in the 50m freestyle heats.The Jaked polyurethane suit has caused a buzz because in certain colours it appears quite revealing. It's no longer legal to wear a so-called modesty suit underneath. "It leaves little to the imagination, but you do feel fast in it," Jones said.USA Swimming insisted that manufacturers be in Indianapolis with their approved swimsuits available for all swimmers on a buy, loan, giveaway or other basis. Speedo, a USA Swimming sponsor, brought 1000 suits, said Craig Brommers, vice-president of marketing. Superstar Michael Phelps wears various versions of the company's LZR Racer, to which he has unlimited access because of his endorsement deal with the company.Phelps, like many other swimmers, has grown tired of being asked about suits."You can ask me as many times as you like," he said. "I'm here to swim."Fred Bousquet, the French sprinter who wore a Jaked suit when he set the 50m freestyle world record of 20.94 seconds in April, finished his Speedo contract last year, and has since signed with Mizuno, which is just getting into high-tech suits.TYR brought 800 suits to the US titles, including two Tracer models the mostly polyurethane Rise and the mostly neoprene A7, according to team and promotions director, Matt Zimmer. The California company has had four other designs rejected by FINA, and is asking a French court to appoint an independent legal expert to determine why some similar suits from other manufacturers were approved by FINA and TYR's were not.Last month, FINA approved 202 suits and rejected 10 others for this month's world championships in Rome. FINA put the suits through laboratory tests for thickness, buoyancy and water resistance, and sent back 136 models to manufacturers, who were given 30 days to resubmit modified designs.The US and Australia have expressed disappointment with FINA's decision to approve modified versions of suits initially rejected for competition.FINA is in a race of its own to regulate the rapid advances in swimsuit technology that led to 108 world records being broken last year. Some suits are suspected of creating "air-trapping" effects that artificially enhance speed.The world championships are the last major event of the year. If FINA bans other suits, manufacturers could be stuck with hundreds of thousands of dollars in useless inventory.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
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