The long-length polyurethane suits populating the world swimming championships in Rome will be banned next year. (Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press)
ROME, July 28 — The world swimming governing body (FINA) hedged again.
FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu said the organization’s promised ban on long-length swimsuits beginning in January of next year might not be implemented until April or May.
Marculescu also said Tuesday during a press conference at the swimming world championships that a scientific committee — which has not yet been appointed — would determine the definition of “textile” and set standards for thickness, buoyancy and permeability for new suits by Sept. 30.
“The rules will be applied in 2010,” Marculescu said. “That can be April or May depending on our negotiations and understanding of manufacturers of the time they need. But we do want to do it as soon as possible.”
The time lag means swimmers will be allowed to compete in the coming months in the controversial high-tech suits that have caused an outcry throughout the sport and contributed to the 15 world records set here during the first three days of competition. The sport’s short-course season — competition in 25-meter pools — runs through the winter and a number of long-course events take place in late winter or early spring.
Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps’s coach, reacted with outrage at news of FINA’s equivocation, saying he would urge Phelps not to compete in major events until the ban is in place.
“That would be my recommendation to him, not to swim internationally,” Bowman said. “The mess needs to be stopped right now. It can’t go any further.”
Phelps said he would abide by Bowman’s recommendations for competing.
“Bob chooses the meets I swim in, [based on] what’s right for me, what’s right for my training,” he said. “That’s his decision. I have one meet I’m looking forward to, and that’s in three years,” the Summer Games in London.
Marculescu said FINA’s bureau, its highest-ranking officers, approved the decision of FINA’s membership to allow only waist-to-knee suits for men and suits for women that don’t extend past the neck, shoulder or knees. He also said only textile fabrics would be allowed in constructing the suits. The swim company Speedo contends that FINA went too far by shortening the suits.
“Speedo believes a return to textile only body suits as per the Melbourne World Championships in 2007 would have dealt with the issue,” the company said in a statement.
Jan-Anders Manson of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has been appointed to lead FINA’s proposed technical committee, which Marculescu said will consist only of materials science experts.
“We need the approval of scientific people,” Marculescu said. “What is the best definition to fulfill our requirements.”
Soni Wins Gold: American Rebecca Soni missed by .09 of a second her own world record in the 100 breaststroke Tuesday night, but she won the gold medal in 1 minute 04.93 seconds. Russian Yuliya Efimova finished second in 1:05.41 seconds and American Kasey Carlson surprised from Lane 1 with her bronze-medal finish in 1:05.75.
“Standing here as a world champion is a great feeling,” Soni said. “Having Kasey on the podium with me is even better.”
Record Set In Older Suit: Britain’s Gemma Spofforth set a world record in the 100 backstroke final with her finish in 58.12, then celebrated the fact she had competed in Speedo’s old-model LZR suit.
“I’ve said all along, it’s not the suit, it’s the swimmer,” Spofforth said. “I think I’ve got the mental toughness to do it in whatever I’m wearing.”
South Africa’s Cameron Van Der Burgh set a world record in the 50 breaststroke in 26.74 seconds; Italian Alessia Filippi won the 1,500 free in 15:44.93 — failing to take down the world record of Great Falls’ Kate Ziegler (15:42.54); Japan’s Junya Koga won the men’s 100 back final in 52.26; Italy’s Federica Pellegrini set her second world record of the championships in the 200 free semis, finishing in 1:53.67.
Tags: Michael Phelps
stats corner
FINA is taking the St. Augustine approach, who prayed, Lord save me from sin, but not just yet.
The only phrase you need is “depending on our negotiations and understanding of manufacturers”. Letting the foxes guard the henhouse is what got FINA into this mess.
These suits are new technology, just like earlier advances in track with running shoes. Track stars ran slower until Nike came around, or before they all started wearing clothes specially designed to reduce windage. Even the tracks are made out of better materials… all contributing to faster times. How about the changes in speed skates over the years or in skis? In these sports innovations have improved the athletes performance. And, with everyone eventually using them, it became the standard. I was a competitive swimmer thru the 70′s. There were no touchpads, few racing blocks with the istructure one sees today and googles were a pretty new thing. We swam in slow pools without the specially designed lane ropes they have for meets now. Perhaps FINA should do away with all these innovations as well. How are the suits different?
Comparisons with improvement of “equipment” in other sports are always brought up in this argument. While the pool design and construction has changed through the years and gutter design, wave-quelling lane dividers and depth of water have made the pools “faster”, that applies equally to every swimmer in the pool. Unlike in most other sports, the sport of swimming has never involved the use any “equipment.” Goggles have enabled all swimmers to train longer and more comfortably, but they don’t make anyone swim faster. Starting blocks or touchpads have not contributed anything to faster swimming. Touch pads only determine the time more accurately, but no one swims any faster when the pads are used. Swimming rules have always prohibited anything that aided buoyancy or floatation and if these new rubber suits trap air and turn swimmers into canoes or kayaks, gliding through water, they violate the rules. It’s as simple as that. Perhaps there should be two types of swimming competition: everyone wearing the exact same rubber suits and everyone not wearing them. Then we would know who really is a faster swimmer.
Take care!
—————————————
signature: canadian prevacid se6f9se88ieeelqpgm
yeh right.. great post, Thank You