Mark Schubert, head coach to the USA, echoed what the world of swimming knows to be true when he said in a teleconference from New York: "I don't think there is any doubt some of the world records that have been broken over the last two years are due to the athletes and some of the world records are more due to the suits."
Schubert criticised FINA for failing to observe its own rule book. "The rules are very clear that swim suits should not enhance performance. I don't think we have been good stewards of the sport to allow what has happened."
FINA Rule SW10.7 states that no device (and that is precisely what a suit that contains non-textile fabric is, especially when covering large parts of the body and engineered in a way that changes angle of buoyancy and makes the swimmer more efficient in water than he or she would otherwise be) shale "aid speed, buoyancy and endurance". Some in FINA say that that rule does not mean suits. But if a fin was inserted on a suit, that rule would most certainly be cited. And so it should be now.
The US trials for Rome 2009 world shampionships start at Indiana University Natatorium main pool next Tuesday.
Veteran Dara Torres is ready with her Jaked, according to European reports. She will race only the 50m free. The 42-year-old said: "Some of these swimsuit manufacturers are doing an awesome job of creating these swimsuits but it seems like we are years ahead of where we should be. Personally I wouldn't mind going back to the old school days and then you can really see who the fast swimmers are."
The media in Italy and France say Torres will race in Jaked and speculate about the possibility of Michael Phelps doing the same. He is expected to swim the 100 and 200 freestyle and 100 and 200 butterfly at trials.
"He's going to be competitive in whatever he swims," Schubert said. "He's going to swim some events he has swum in the past and he's going to challenge himself with some new events and that should be interesting."
Meantime, FINA's "availability" defence is already looking weak. This from Michael Cowley in the SMH Down Under:
"Australian swimmers are unlikely to be able to test the new adidas Hydrofoil until three days before the titles begin.
"While team members are free to apply to wear different swimsuits at the championships, despite the team's Speedo sponsorship, adidas Australia marketing director, Simon Millar, said yesterday that due to demand, his company was unlikely to be able to supply the Australian team with suits to trial until the squad arrives in Rome on July 23.
"It's a difficult situation for us. Our biggest challenge is that FINA only approved our suit on the 20th of June. We've got a number of contracted athletes that we've got to get the product to and we're in the process of manufacturing those for those athletes as our number one priority," - Millar.
"Within the Australian set-up, that's Cate Campbell and Jessicah Schipper, then once we've got our contracted athletes covered, we'll look to produce a bit of extra stock prior to the championships in Rome."
And with that we know the truth: "we have got our contracted athletes covered". Which is precisely what all manufacturers do. They make sure that that precisely the right suit, tested and trialled well in advance, is available for those contracted to the company. All others can go to the last-minute shop of chance when they get to Rome.
"We've obviously slightly got our backs against the wall in terms of lead-time now, and there may not be suits available for the [Australian pre-titles'] camp in Manchester. The potential is they won't get suits until immediately prior to the championships in Rome ... when they arrive." - Millar.
That does not constitute "availability" in any meaningful way, and the likes of adidas and all other suit makers who have been around for a length of experience.
Meantime, Federica Pellegrini, who set a "world record" in the 200m free in Riccione back in spring may soon have her standard ratified. The delay was that the pool had failed to provide certification, required with all world-record application forms. Ansa, the Italian agency, reports that the certification is about to be provided. The man who needed to have supplied the paperwork is Paolo Boni, who may wish to tell us all why it has taken so long to confirm something that presumably was there already given that the Italian nationals were held at that pool.
In Rome, the suits will be truly significant to the results but while debate rages between those who detest the rubberised look in the race pool and those who like their swimming enhanced by props and supports, a corner of the world champs will be reserved for true style: Emporio Armani has signed up as a sponsor to the event. No conflict of interest. Great.
