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Head coach Alan Thompson believes Australia’s decision to ban the super swim suits for age group swimmers this year will put the Dolphins in a strong position to adapt to the new rules in 2010.
Australia banned any suit containing polyurethane, including the team sponsored Speedo LZR, from the age championships this year to prevent the grass roots of the sport becoming tainted by technology.
It proved brilliant foresight by Australia, with FINA finally confirming on Friday that from January 1, 2010, all suits must be made of textile and pass stringent testing.
“It rids all the confusion now,” said Thompson.
“Obviously it’s the same swim suits our age group kids have been wearing and we may well have been a little Nostradamus like in making those rules 12 months ago.”
However, the debris from a ruined 2009 season will take a while to clear as the Australians will need to develop new criteria for team selection.
In the past team selection criteria, for athletes and coaches, has been based on previous year world rankings.
The rankings are obviously heavily distorted by super suits and Thompson said they’ll have to address the problem of times being much slower than 2009.
“With our athletes I will be looking at personal best times from January 1 in the new era of swim suits,” he said.
“The bigger issue for us from day to day operational point of view is things like world rankings and qualifying times.
“Obviously a lot of thought needs too be put into those to make sure nobody is disadvantaged there.”