The World Swimming Championships, now underway in Rome, will be slightly different this year. Any records that are set will either not be recognized or have a big fat asterisk next to them, probably with the initials APSA standing for All-Polyurethane Swimsuit Aided.
FINA, which gave the green light to the suits, has reversed the decision and banned them for future use. Some of the suits that were used to such good effect in Beijing were only partly polyurethane, but these new suits are totally poly and are very fast but impractical.
They can take up to 10 minutes to put on. They can be used only so many times before they lose their effectiveness and they cost a lot of money. The swimmer’s body doesn’t even get wet.
FINA rejected some of these suits in March after complaints they trapped air around a swimmer’s body, thus making them more buoyant, but the ban was lifted after manufacturers provided evidence that they did not trap air – remember when the Philip Morris Company provided evidence that smoking was not harmful to your health?
So let’s list various sports where equipment gives some
competitors a big edge. Rugby? Soccer? Aussie Rules? American football? Tennis? Golf? Basketball? Cricket? Baseball? Nope!
Cycling, yes. A Cervelo carbon-fiber & titanium bike costs a fortune but the same rider can time-trial or track-ride one faster than his regular bike. I’m not going to count Formular One because the driver, as skilled as he may be, only sits there. Did I miss one or two? Any other sports where money/technology buys you much better performance?
Bottom line is, swimmers will have to go back to a suit that’s accepted by everybody, like the old Speedo rather than the new Adidas Hydrofoil, so it looks like we’re going to have a level swimming pool next year.
Let’s take a poll. Who do you think is smarter, FINA or the IRB?
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
I think all the old records will be marked PS (pre suit) It's such a shame as records used to be exciting especially ones that had stood for a long time. And now that Suits are allowed it would be hard to roll back the clock and dissalow them so the sport will become more and more about the suit and that will be abig aprt of Discussion around the sport. Although come to think of it..... I never really talked about swimming before.
sheek
Guest
For me swimming stopped in 1996 at Atlanta. The high cut at the hips one-piece swimsuits for the women were a joy to behold! These neck to ankles high-tech suits are the equivalent of watching the beautiful female body in potato sacks. Yuk! Now that I've managed to be horribly politically incorrect, I'll leave..........
Jameswm
Guest
Except the previous swimmers didn't have access to them, so what does that mean for their records? You don't have such records in swimming or golf, so with everyone having the same technology available tot hem, it's an even playing field.
Kurt
Guest
OK on that basis the swimming suits aren't an issue because everyone has access to them.
Jecker
Guest
KURT - All clubs on the golf tour have to be certified as legal by the PGA, so no advantage there. All the racquets on the tennis tour are basically the same except for the stringing tension. Any legit brand is available to anybody belonging to the PTA as long as the head size is within legal dimensions. HAZEY - Bats in MLB must conform to a uniform standard. Now and then somebody tries to ring in a corked bat but that's mainly in the minor leagues. So Gladstone is correct in the sports he's listed. Correct also about that Cervelo bike being faster although it doesn't give a rider the huge advantage that a poly suit gives a swimmer.
Hazey the Bear
Roar Rookie
Also the development in bats in cricket has also changed dramatically - Let's not forget the 'reverse-sweep' bats that were supposed to be the rage in 20/20...I'd imagine some sort of similar development in baseball bats since its beginning? Not sure, someone who's a bit more familiar would need to confirm that.
Kurt
Guest
Agree with most of what you say, but not so sure about including golf and tennis in that list. Technology has had a huge impact on both sports - I mean have you seen the size of some of the drivers the golf manufacturers are coming out with now? Size of a baby's head and the weight of a feather. And tennis today is a completely different game to 25 years ago, primarily because modern racquets facilitate both enormous power and spin in a way a wooden racquet simply could not.