Worth keeping a constant eye on that FINA approved suits lists, which fluctuates at a pace that parents, coaches and swimmers will surely have trouble keeping up with. Of late, new updates, with suits added, taken away and then more added, resulted in the following numbers on the list:
- June 22: 476 suits
- August 5: 424 suits
- August 13: 558 suits
That latest adjustment was made in the midst of one of the biggest international events of the season, the European Championships, last Friday the 13th. The fluctuations raise a serious question over the timing of approvals and when they kick into being. The swimming world is now within a year of the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, and as such, the current list of approved FINA suits ought to be locked down, with a view to manufacturers making sure that all approved are recognised by all, officials included, and commercially available by January 1, 2011.
As they head to Shanghai, both swimmers and FINA will surely wish to avoid a repeat of the torrent of complaints from athletes, swimmers and federations in the wake of the world open-water championships in Roberval, where suits that many had believed not to have been approved were worn, while some suits worn were simply not available to all, according to world-class athletes.
FINA is committed to no change in suit rules until after the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, there are those who wish to see a return of the bodysuit, with material down to ankles and tops for men. The argument is entirely commercial, one to suit manufacturers who want more material to play with when it comes to branding, says Paolo Barelli, Hon Secretary of FINA and a man who made the point of late that the Italian federation was fundamentally opposed to the introduction of the Speedo LZR Racer in February 2008 and remains of the view that textile suits are where the line ought to be drawn, with no return to non-textile materials and constructions engineered for compression.
Those who oppose any move to have the bodysuit back have the support of sources in the world of medical/military breakthroughs, in which garments that look and feel like the suits of 2009 have been patented with a view for use among cancer patients, war wounded and others in need of pain relief through manipulation of the peripheral nervous system. Such products would be tantamount to allowing doping should they ever make it to the race pool.
Meantime, SwimNews has heard from manufacturers complaining that suits made by rivals in precisely the same material sourced at a Japanese fabric house have been approved for use while their own kit failed tests. One maker reported that they had had to cancel orders for fabric in Japan and turn to an Italian fabric maker in order to get their suit past FINA tests, even though they believed that there was no difference in the material made in Japan and Italy.
And so, back to the list on which the world of swimming must rely as Shanghai prepares to welcome the biggest fish in the global pond next July. The full list can be found on the fina website. Here are the numbers per maker:
- Aauarapid 4
- Adidas 7
- Agon 16
- Akron 4
- Aquazone 18
- Arena Italia S.p.A. 37
- Asics Corporation 36
- Blueseventy 3
- Descente, LTD 67
- Diana 13
- Dolfin Swimwear 4
- Engine 2
- Essenuoto 4
- Euras GmbH 2
- FEW 4
- Finis Inc. 8
- Footmark 2
- Jaked 13
- Kobayashi Gomu 2
- Kobayashi Gomu Co 4
- Lane 4 19
- Leonian KK 6
- Mad Wave 2
- Maru Swimming 6
- Miyata Corp. 2
- Mizuno Corporation 32
- Modeta Style 2
- Mosconi 7
- Nike 23
- Okeo 6
- Orca 4
- Rocket Science Sports 10
- Sazan Co.ltd 2
- Speedo 69
- Sports Hig 41
- Turbo 4
- Tyr Sports Inc. 43
- VA Project Co. Ltd. 4
- Way Funky 1
- Yamamoto Corporation 12
- Yamamoto Hokosho Co., Ltd. 2
- Yingfa 11
Total 558
