The world’s fastest swimmer, Eamon Sullivan (AUS), is the latest athlete to  join the swimsuit debate: swimming should be a test of talent, and not buoyancy. Happy with what he has achieved legally in "one" approved suit at a time, the sprinter calls for an end to the wetsuit lookalike invasion and wearing of multiple suits.

The 50m freestyle world record holder told The West Australian that he was not concerned that an asterisk might be added to the five world records he broke in 2008 to denote they were achieved in the controversial high-tech suits. Among those who feel that all 2008 records ought to be singled out in that way is Aussie legend and quadruple Olympic champion Murray Rose.

Sullivan said that suits and suit practices that had unfolded over the course of 2008 had "to be stopped". He added: “I’m happy with what I’ve done. The suit (Speedo’s LZR Racer) was ratified by FINA and I wasn’t wearing two or three suits, just the one. What I wore was allowed at the time I broke those records. There obviously is some advantage and there obviously is more advantage if you wear two or three suits, which a lot of people have been doing lately, and I think it’s pretty ridiculous.

"It’s just making a mockery of swimming. I thought it was supposed to be about talent, not about how buoyant you are in the water. Sure it’s disappointing to see people doing that, but once again there are no rules to stop them."

Sullivan said that laws were needed to govern the materials used so "there are not people coming in and making ridiculous suits, basically wetsuits". The Speedo LZR racer he wore also gave him advantage, he acknowledged, in line with views already expressed by his coach in Sydney Grant Stoelwinder, who believes that the technology worn buy his speedy charge had helped to shave some 0.3sec off times every 50m.