Australian swimmers took the plunge at short-course nationals in Brisbane this week and were allowed to wear their national version of the Speedo FS Pro, a suit that has never been submitted for FINA approval.
Given that so many swimmers Down under still have the Speedo FS Pro in their kit bags, Swimming Australia Limited, sponsored by Speedo, appears to have circumnavigate the problem by issuing its own approval, in the face of FINA rules, to swimmers, clubs and regions under its jurisdiction, in a notice that acknowledges an international rule infraction.
A FINA spokesman told SwimNews that the international federation had been unaware of SAL's action and was "looking into the matter" after having been furnished with a copy of the SAL notice to its membership.
The Aussie version of the FS Pro has been worn illegally, in international terms, Down Under since the FINA ban on non-textile suits and bodysuits came in on January 1. Japanese and American versions of the suit were submitted for (and gained) FINA approval, but the Aussie version if the suit of 2007 did not appear on the FINA approvals list.
What happened next was a fascinating move to float around FINA rules. Here is how SAL wrote into its bylaws, in time for the January 1 FINA ban, words that tell its members that they may break FINA rules when racing in domestic waters, a footnote to CBL14.2 Additional Swimsuit Guidelines for Age Group Events reading that this "allows competitors to wear swimsuits that conform to 2010 FINA guidelines that have not been submitted to FINA for approval".
Those bylaws read:
CBL14.2 Additional Swimsuit Guidelines for Age Group Events
(1) All swimwear worn by competitors in Age Group Events (18 and under) conducted in Australia by SAL shall be commercially available products.
(2) Swimwear worn by competitors in Age Group Events shall conform to the following design:
(i) Men’s swimwear is limited to one (1) swimsuit that covers at most the body surface from navel to knee. Swimwear may not extend above the navel or below the knees;
(ii) Women’s swimwear is limited to one (1) swimsuit that is of ‘open back’ and ‘open shoulder’ designs that may extend down to the knee. Swimwear must not extend below the knees. Swimwear must not have a zipper or any type of fastening devices except for a waist-tie on traditional swimsuits.
(iii) Suits must be of textile material and must not contain any non-textile material such as polyurethane or neoprene.
*CBL 14.2 is similar to CBL 14.1 but allows competitors to wear swimsuits that conform to 2010 FINA guidelines that have not been submitted to FINA for approval.
And here is the latest notice to SAL's membership:
"The FINA 2010 list of approved swimsuits now includes some Speedo FS Pro models. However, the FS Pro models that have been approved are only available in the US and Japanese markets, NOT Australia.
To avoid confusion, Swimming Australia (SAL) will allow Australian Speedo FS Pro models in SAL open events until 31 July 2010." [Read the full statement at the foot of this article].
The federation added the following rider to that deadline: "For the avoidance of doubt, Australian FS Pro suits that fit with SAL competition By-Law 14.2 are permitted at SAL Age events until further notice." It further clarified that no records could be set in the suit.
A spokesman for SAL told SwimNews that it would answer our questions before July 31. That's the deadline set by SAL for the end of illegal use of the Aussie FS Pro - but then only for seniors. The federation intends to continue to flout FINA rules in junior waters, unless, of course, Speedo has now submitted (or intends to submit) the Australian version of the suit for FINA approval and expects good news.
That cuts to the heart of the matter: why would Speedo not wish to submit for approval a suit that was so popular and specific too one of its partners, a partner that happens to be one of the world's leading swim nations with many an Olympic and world champion in its shoal.
Questions from SwimNews to SAL, none of them particularly testing, include:
- what was SAL's decision based on?
- did SAL seek advice or permission from FINA on this issue before issuing its statement to the membership?
- did SAL apply the same reasoning to suits of others brands [non-Speedo] Down Under?
We will bring you the answers when they arrive. Meanwhile, in e-mails to SwimNews, swimmers and coaches Down Under continue to speculated that SAL, which brought in FINA's ban three months early for domestic competition, later realised that Speedo's failure to submit the Aussie version of the FS Pro for approval meant that large amounts of stock might go stale, so to speak.
Perhaps, some speculate in e-mails to SwimNews, the Australian federation simply read FINA rule 6.2 - initiated by FINA to cover "old-fashioned" style suits that did not warrant the cost of submitting suits for FINA approval when those suits would clearly pass muster - and decided that the Aussie FS Pro ought to be included in that scenario. The problem with that is simple: Speedo did submit for approval the US and Japanese versions of the suit, but would not have done so if those suits could have been included in the category of apparel that did not need FINA's official approval.
Further Aussie speculation is focussed on two aspects: one the one hand, did Speedo have enough of its 2010 suits ready in time for the Australian market?; on the other hand, could it be that parents simply refused to pay what many regard as the relatively high cost of jammers and women's suits cut off at the knee and now made of material?
One senior source close to the industry told SwimNews: "Here we have what's essentially, in FINA terms, an illegal suit, one not approved by FINA, that SAL decides that they will grant an exemption for. Why - because Speedo was short on legal race suits for Nationals and Age Nationals and had plenty of these illegal race suits in use and in the market - simple! Commercial - simple...
"[Speedo] has a list of approved suits the length of your arm, why would they not pursue approval of the Australian FS Pro? It's not the money; surely they would be better off killing off any possible speculation. Unless, of course, they know it [would] not be approved." That would surely be a question for SAL to put to the suit maker in the interests of all those athletes who own an Aussie FS-Pro. Instead of telling Aussie juniors that they can race in a suit that is unavailable anywhere else in the world, why not tell its suit partner "please get the suit approved - and then there's no problem". Perhaps it has. We will let you know if they let us know.
The issue coincides with a campaign at Ryde to have parents buy much cheaper race suits, such as those offered by FINIS, for their offspring in the basis that there is no point in paying over-the-top prices for suits that by law ought not to enhance performance.
Whatever led to the current position Down Under, there is no escaping the bottom line of the suits culture FINA brought in on January 1 this year: standardisation is one of the corner stones of FINA, one of the very reasons that the international federation came into being, and one of the main reasons why Congress voted last July to back a US proposal to end an era in which standardisation was sunk by a tidal wave of suits that enhanced performance, benefitted some more than others, worked in different ways for different swimmers and were available to some not all.
A source close to the federation Down Under highlighted another aspect of the problem when he told SwimNews: "I think the biggest problem with all of these anomalies is on deck: as we try to clean up the spill from the [shiny] suits there will be swimmers turning up to events in suits that officials don't recognise but will not have the tools or time to question one suit over another."
As one of the overspills of suit wars looks set to draw to an end in senior waters Down Under, it seems that the ripples will continue to flow for a while yet.
Here, in full, is the SAL Notice to its membership Down Under:
SAL statement to clarify use of Speedo FS Pro swimsuits at SAL events.
The FINA 2010 list of approved swimsuits now includes some Speedo FS Pro models. However, the FS Pro models that have been approved are only available in the US and Japanese markets, NOT Australia.
To avoid confusion, Swimming Australia (SAL) will allow Australian Speedo FS Pro models in SAL open events until 31 July 2010. They still must meet the style and coverage guidelines outlined below.
For the avoidance of doubt, Australian FS Pro suits that fit with SAL competition By-Law 14.2 are permitted at SAL Age events until further notice.
Records
SAL national open records can only be ratified if performed in a FINA approved swimsuit. The revised SAL record application form requires the make and model of the suit to be lodged for approval.
As the Australian version of the FS Pro suit is not technically a FINA approved suit, SAL open records achieved in a FS Pro will not be ratified.
The list of FINA approved suits for 2010 can be found at the link below:
http://www.fina.org/project/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2768&Itemid=49
SAL age group records can only be ratified if performed in a swimsuit that meets the guidelines outlined in CBL 14.2. The revised SAL record application form requires the make and model of the suit to be lodged for approval.
Guidelines for Australian Speedo FS Pro suits
Speedo FS PRO swimwear worn by competitors at SAL Events shall conform to the following design:
(i) Men’s swimwear is limited to one (1) swimsuit that covers at most the body surface from navel to knee. Swimwear may not extend above the navel or below the knees;
(ii) Women’s swimwear is limited to one (1) swimsuit that is of "open back" and "open shoulder" designs that may extend down to the knee. Swimwear must not extend below the knees. Swimwear must not have a zipper or any type of fastening devices.
(iii) Suits must be of textile material and must not contain any non-textile material such as polyurethane or neoprene.
