Below is another example of just how daft things have become in the race pool. 

Anastasia Zueva set the Russian world-clampionship trials alight back in spring when she donned an arena X-Glide to set the two fastest 50m backstroke times ever seen. She left the best ever mark at 27.47. 

At the time, the X-Glide had not been approved by FINA but FINA delayed making any announcement about whether the practice of wearing suits that had not been approved would be acceptable or not. 

By the time that Zueva raced in Monaco during the Mare Nostrum Tour early this month, she was still in great shape but knew that the X-Glide had not made the FINA cut and thus donned an arena Revolution, a suit that is approved by FINA. She raced 27.56. In the absence of that 27.47, her new swim would have been a world record - but FINA had still not declared it officially wrong to wear an suit that had not been approved, a suit that does no more than the Jaked01 and many other suits that have now been approved by FINA. 

Organisers in Monaco had the 27.47 listed as the world record - and as such, would not run a doping test on Zueva after that 27.56. Legal in all others aspects, the time cannot count for a world record because no doping test was conducted.

Had FINA acted firmly and swiftly on the issue of wearing suits, had it told federations around the world back in March and April: do not wear a suit that has not been approved because we will not recognise that swim, then more daftness and unfairness might have been avoided. 

"The young lady lost 25,000 euros of bonus money and was deprived of the WR for a third time," notes Russia head coach Andrei Vorontsov. "I just wonder if our swimming leaders, FINA, love and respect swimmers and coaches more than suit-making companies?!"

He added: "I wish to express my disappointment by the last FINA misleading actions. I would not mind if that organisation would not approve all record times shown in all Hi-Tech suits. They did not approve those, demonstrated in arena X-Glide, but Jaked01 passes through. Who knows why? I held both suits - Jaked01 and X-Glide in my hands - the materials that the suits are made of are quite the same as well as the effect on buoyancy and performance."

He notes that Evegeny Korotyshkin clocked a 100m 'fly standard of 51.55 at Russian nationals while wearing a Jaked01.

FINA today stands accused by leading coaches and swimmers of causing loss of income, harm to personal morale and psychological damage.