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ALARMED that world records were being broken at an incredible rate,
FINA, the international federation for swimming, decided to change
some of the rules of the sport. Last year, 108 records fell, some of
them, like the women’s 100-meter backstroke, within months.
Without belittling the second-place finish of the American swimming
mom in Beijing, the 41-year-old Dara Torres, FINA concluded that
such achievements would not have been possible without the Speedo
LZR Racer swimsuit.
The suit is padded with polyurethane panels
around the torso, abdomen and lower back to limit drag in the pool.
It’s worn like a second skin, compressing the body in a
streamlined shape.
Jason Rance, head of the division of Speedo that
developed the LZR, told Science on August 1, 2008 that some of the
technologies needed to make the suit “didn’t exist 10 years
ago.”
Among these are ultrasonic welding to do away
with seams, fine sanding of some parts of the suit, and a compound
that makes the fabric impermeable.
Cornel Marculescu, the executive director of
FINA, said that he was concerned because “the focus was too much
on the technology instead of on natural development.” (Christopher
Clarey, The New York Times, March 20, 2009).
The problem was not just wearing the LZR
swimsuit in competition. Therese Alshammar broke her own world
record in the 50-meter butterfly on March 17 in the Australian
championships but was disqualified because she wore two suits. Her
excuse was modesty; the LZR is almost transparent. FINA did not buy
her alibi.
After a series of meetings that began on March
14 in Dubai, FINA, sports equipment manufacturers, coaches,
swimmers, lawyers and experts in biomechanics, agreed to change the
charter of world competitive swimming. The changes are:
(1)
No swimsuit may cover the neck or shoulders nor extend past the
ankles. Hence full-body suits like those worn by Ian Thorpe in the
2000 and 2004 Olympic Games will no longer be allowed;
(2)
Swimmers may wear only one suit that should “follow the body
shape.” This prohibits compression methods;
(3)
The maximum thickness of the material shall be one millimeter;
(4)
Swimsuits regardless of size may not have a buoyancy effect of more
than one Newton.
(5)
Buoyancy and thickness will be measured by an independent body led
by Jan-Anders Manson in Lausanne, Switzerland.
(6)
Finally, all swimsuits, including those previously approved by FINA,
must be submitted for testing by the Manson team by March 31.
These rules are good only until the end of 2009
and will apply to the championships in Rome in July.
Beginning 2010, there will be a further
restriction of non-permeable material to a maximum of 50 percent of
a swimsuit’s total surface in order to avoid an air pocket being
formed between the skin and the suit.
It’s the buoyancy issue that’s most
problematic. But FINA realizes that sports equipment makers should
be given some room to innovate.
One reason Alshammar was disqualified was
because multiple suits increased buoyancy.
Marculuscu said that he’s happy to bring
scientific criteria to the sport because “the most important thing
is we keep our values, and our values are the values of athletes,
which [are] their physical preparation and effort.”
Technology can give an athlete a winning edge
but it should also ensure that athletic competitions are fair.
opinion@manilatimes.net
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