The world short-course swimming championships in Manchester have drawn to a close, and 18 world records were broken there in the five days of competition. And those can be added to the 19 long course world records already broken this year.
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However, the championship’s real significance may be the fact that FINA, swimming's governing body, has announced that the Speedo LZR Racer Swimsuit, the center of the controversy about technology and performance, is legal and meets all Fina's stipulated specifications for swimsuits.
What is causing all the controversy?
In case you've missed it, Speedo brought out its latest suit, the LZR Racer, earlier this year, and it's been an absolute sensation in the pools. Of the 19 long- course and 18 short-course world records set in the pool this year, 18 and 17 were set in the LZR Racer, respectively! That's 35 out of 37 and the only other manufacturer getting a look in is Arena, which has been worn in the other 2 records.
For the record, someone has analysed Olympic swimming records and found that in every Olympic year since 1988, the average number of world records broken before the Olympic Games is 5. 2008 has delivered 37 in total. It is clearly an anomaly, leading to the LZR’s new nickname: "drugs on a hanger".
So that introduces something of a conflict for the swimmers, and a difficult decision. Do you wear the Speedo LZR and go for gold, or do you remain loyal to your sponsors, if you happen to be unlucky enough to be sponsored by anyone other than Speedo?
Gerhard Zandberg of South Africa has made up his mind. He will wear the LZR Racer even though it means facing a fine of up to $5000. His words: "I'm going to wear the Speedo at the Olympics. I'm not going to sacrifice performance. I'll be fined $5000, but what's $5000?"
Other "non-Speedo" swimmers are equally disgruntled. Fillipo Magnini, world long course champion, feels at a disadvantage when racing against Speedo swimmers, and has expressed his displeasure. All in all, not a very pleasant situation for swimmers or manufacturers (other than Speedo, that is)
Help may be at hand - FINA legalizes the suit and so Arena responds
But, help may be at hand. At a summit held to discuss the swimsuit issue at the Manchester championships, Fina cleared up what had apparently been some confusion around the design of the suits.
According to reports from the meeting, the confusion, particularly on the part of Arena (who had asked Fina to review all suits and then ban those that were illegal), involved the specifications of what materials could be used in the suits.
That is, according to FINA rules, swimsuits should be made of "regular flat fabrics" and "no outside applications shall be added" (art. 3.1 b).
Arena interpreted this to mean that the panels of polyurethane, drag-free material that Speedo had incorporated into its LZR Racer at hydronamically beneficial locations, were illegal. Not so, according to Fina officials and the meeting held in Manchester this weekend. Fina have instead clarified that the rules do not limit the fabrics, and that other materials could be used.
This has opened the door (or a can of worms, if you wish) for other manufacturers to step in. And first through that door, unsurprisingly, are Arena. According to the Arena CEO, Cristiano Portas, Arena are ready with their ultra-new swimsuit. You'll recall from our previous posts that Arena first introduced the Powerskin R-Evolution. Well, they are now talking about the Powerskin R-Evolution Mark II, which is basically a prototype very similar to Speedo's LZR Racer - it has polyurethane panels to reduce drag, and compress the muscles to apparently create a sensation of buoyancy.
Portas' own words: "Now we know the interpretation of the material is free, we have something ready," Portas told reporters. "It's the very first prototype, but the feeling of the suit is special."
Where does this leave swimming?
Also unsurprisingly, all the other manufacturers, TYR, Diana, Nike, Adidas and Mizuno are now free to do the same thing, and they presumably will. So expect more records to fall before the Olympics (the USA National trials are on the horizon, and I shudder to think how many records will fall there). And then, of course, at the Games the combination of swimsuits and peaking means records will be obliterated.
I would in fact not be surprised if the number of world records broken in
2008 reaches the 100 mark. If Speedo would like a slogan for their LZR Racer, they might consider "Speedo - wiping out 20 years of swimming history with one splash", or something similar, because while technology is great, this unprecedented spike in performance is effectively pushing the "Reset" button for swimming, and in five years time, we'll look at world records, and classify them as either Pre or Post "Material changes".
Is that good for swimming? It’s difficult to say. Personally, I'd love to see swimmers racing on an equal playing field (or pool), where the winner is the guy who has produced the higher force and the more efficient swim. The idea of a medal lost thanks to a suit seems to detract from performance a little to me.
Having said that, in a perverse way, this latest development might at least ensure that we have some competition in the Olympics, because at least now, swimmers wearing anything but Speedo, might have their own 2% performance advantages. So from a competitive point of view, this is a good thing.
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