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A new swimsuit war has broken out four months from the London Olympics. It pits Australian swim team sponsor Speedo against other brands including adidas, the uniform sponsor for the overall Games team.
The new row is not about exotic materials, but it does carry some echoes of swimming’s dark “super suit” era, when 255 world records were smashed in two years until world body FINA banned the controversial polyurethane outfits in 2010.
Swimmers must now wear textile suits, shorts for men and knee-to-shoulder for women, but the new hot question for elite competitors is: which textile suit to wear?
The Australian Olympic Committee has allowed swimmers at this year’s London Games to apply for permission to use suits other than Speedo, and many are taking up the chance.
They include adidas-sponsored sprinters Cate and Bronte Campbell, the first siblings in 40 years to represent Australia in swimming.
“We have found the adidas suit is by far the best suit out there, and swimming in Speedo will impair our performances,” said Cate Campbell, the 19-year-old who won two bronze medals in Beijing.
“We believe 100 per cent adidas provides the best suit possible, so it’s another stress we don’t have to worry about.
“I know so many swimmers are worried about what suit they’re going to wear.”
Her 17-year-old sister Bronte, who will compete head to head with her in this year’s London 50 metres freestyle, said: “It’s just what we feel comfortable in, it’s peace of mind. If you’ve already swum well with this, you don’t want to change it going into the Games. I feel sorry for the other athletes (who are undecided).”
Cate Campbell described the situation as a repeat of the dilemma facing Australian swimmers at the 2009 world championships in Rome, where 43 world records fell.
“Speedo didn’t have the super suits and they were sponsoring the Australian swim team, so all the Speedo-sponsored athletes were having to worry about what suit to wear,” she said.
“It’s just that all over again.”
She said swimmers wanted the attention to be on how they were swimming rather than what they were wearing.
“We want it to be focused on our performance and our physique, how hard we have worked and the results we are getting,” she said.
“Instead it’s who has the best suit, how much that suit will help you, whether it’s the suit swimming instead of you, or how bad the suit is.
“It takes away from all the hard work we do as athletes.”
The sisters, speaking at the launch of the adidas Australian Olympic uniforms for 2012, said the Speedo swimsuit felt heavy in the water.
Speedo said it was working closely with the AOC and swimmers to deliver suits that would allow them to feel confident and compete to the highest standard in London.
“Speedo has enabled top swimmers to achieve more gold medals and shatter more world records than any other brand,” the company said in a statement.
“We’re very proud to have supported and invested in Australian swimming from grass roots to elite level since the inception of the brand in 1928 and will continue to be the leading name in swimwear well into the future.”