Editorial.

Bravo L'Equipe! Bravo Benoit Lallement and colleagues! The French newspaper, one of the world's leading sports publications, will not mention a single world, continental or French record until FINA imposes strict suit rules that return meaning to times in the race pool.

In taking that stance, L'Equipe has shown the kind of leadership and recognition of the dimensions of the suits crisis rocking the world of swimming that FINA ought to have shown a very long time ago.

As Lallement put it in an editorial: "In the weeks ahead - and above all at the Rome world titles - records will fall in every race or almost every race up to and beyond overdose.

That will make no sense. L'Equipe has therefore decided that until Jan 1, 2010 and the theoretical disappearance (with FINA such things always require qualification) of 100% polyurethane suits, we will not refer to world, European and national records in our articles.

We will also halt the process of rejigging the world rankings and place any performances in context. For us, the interest in the world championships and in all swimming competition must now be called into question. At a time of telling the story of a sport in danger, it seems to us to be dishonest not to report the weight of the apparel dominating the sport and the simple reality that these suits enhance performance [results] significantly."

SwimNews stands shoulder to shoulder with that view, but will remind readers when the clock reminds us all of just how silly the sport has become and Nick Thierry will continue to update the most accurate world rankings and most extensive historical database of performances to be found in the world in order to keep up the important task of telling the truth: FINA's failure to act in a timely fashion and its priority of focussing on the bottom line of the balance sheets of apparel makers instead of the bottom line ploughed by swimmers day in and day out in order to line up and have their performances recognised free of the taint of a suit, has rendered the clock meaningless. 

No, it is not exciting to witness world record after world record: the "achievement" is simply watered down and becomes meaningless and boring.

Pay heed FINA: your days are numbered if you fail to bring an axe down on this nonsense by January 1, 2010.