Sat, May 23, 2009 page19

• FINA rejects 10 high-tech swimsuits

  • AP
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  Swimming’s governing body has rejected 10 high-tech racing suits and approved 202 others for the world championships in July.

  FINA said its expert panel sent back 136 models to the manufacturers, who have 30 days to resubmit modified designs.

  A total of 18 out of 21 makers who submitted suits for laboratory tests on thickness, buoyancy and water resistance had designs cleared for competition this year.

  The approved list did not include polyurethane suits worn by French freestylers Frederick Bousquet and Alain Bernard when they set unofficial world records last month.

  Bousquet wore an Italian Jaked 01 model during the fastest men’s 50m free, and Bernard wore Arena’s X-Glide suit in the men’s 100m.

  It was not clear if those suits were rejected outright or needed modification, as FINA did not identify suits or manufacturers that were not approved by the panel at an emergency meeting on Monday.

  “We don’t want to get into ­controversy with manufacturers, or get into more speculation,” FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu said.

  Before the decision was handed down, Bousquet said he would abide by FINA’s ruling and said he’d already talked with another manufacturer in case the Jaked suit was banned.

  “I’m not worried about it,” the French star said after the Charlotte UltraSwim, where he defeated Michael Phelps in the 100m free while wearing a Jaked suit. “I’ll have to adapt to it. I’m not going to try to go against it. I’m not going to try to fight it. I’m not going to complain if the suit is banned. I’m just going to go with FINA. They are the masterminds.”

  The Jaked 03 design was approved, while Speedo got 12 designs approved in its LZR range worn by the majority of swimmers who set 108 world-record times last year.

  Marculescu said ratifying recent world-best times could take weeks.

  He told reporters that the sport needed to “restore credibility” before the world championships from July 19 to Aug. 2 in Rome.

  FINA has been criticized for failing to act more quickly to regulate the water-resistant, buoyancy-­aiding suits which have helped smash most of swimming’s records in the past 15 months.

  “We hope that in Rome, the athletes, coaches and performances will be No. 1 — not the swimsuits,” Marculescu said.

  US five-time Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol signed with Arena last week and wore the X-Glide for the first time while beating Michael Phelps in the 100m backstroke at the Charlotte UltraSwim meet.

  “I’m glad I got to wear it once,” Peirsol told reporters. “I wanted to see what all the hullabaloo was about.”

  FINA’s group of experts, including national head coaches Mark Schubert of the US and Australia’s Alan Thompson, evaluated 348 swimsuit designs tested by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

  “I’ve all along that when an athlete swims well, we want people to be talking about the swimmer, and not the suit, and this is a big step in that direction,” said Thompson said. “It’s now clear exactly which suits have been approved for Rome in July and for the rest of the year.”

  Thompson said FINA’s decision meant Bousquet and Bernard’s records were doubtful. The Frenchmen went under the times set by Australian sprinter Eamon Sullivan in the 50m and 100m freestyle.

  “You would have to think that a world record would need to be swum in a suit that is approved and not a suit that has been modified. That is only my personal opinion,” Thompson told a telephone conference.

  Marculescu said lead scientist Jan-Anders Manson would be pool-side to ensure only approved suits are worn at the worlds.

  Suits must be submitted ahead of the championships so they can be tagged before being returned. Swimmers will have their suits verified 20 minutes before a race.

  Manson’s team will conduct a second round of tests later this year. FINA will create a shorter list to regulate race-ready suits that can be used from Jan. 1 next year.
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