FINA Drops Controversial Swimsuits, Elects New President

(ATR) FINA has taken drastic measures to sink the controversial high-tech swimsuits.

The international swimming federation has rolled back the allowable coverage from nearly full-body to 1990s levels of bare skin and will limit the type of material that can be used.

However, these changes will not take effect until after the FINA World Championships, underway for one more week in Rome. Swimming competition in the pool begins this weekend with athletes wearing the high-tech suits that have contributed to more than 100 world records since they were introduced in early 2008.

The legislation passed by the FINA Congress will limit male swimsuits to between the waist and knees, while female swimsuits may not go beyond the shoulders or below the knees. Also, the new suits must be made from "textiles," a material which the FINA Bureau will have to define in subsequent meetings. Some current suits are made of polyurethane.

The United States, which made the proposal, originally wanted male swimsuits to have the same limits as female suits, but FINA went a step further after consulting coaches of the major swimming powers.

''Some world records have been broken due to athletes and some due to suits," said Mark Schubert, head coach and general manager of the U.S. team. "Suits should complement, not enhance, performance."

Italian manufacturers Arena and Jaked are considered to have the fastest suits, which are thought to aid swimmers in speed and buoyancy.

Retired U.S. Olympic gold medalist BJ Bedford, (4 x 100 medley relay in 2000) said of the high-tech bodysuits, "I think they're disgusting. It makes it so that you don't have to be as good of an athlete, Instead of having to do 2,000 crunches every day, you just wear a suit that compresses your core. . I think the best thing about our sport is it's really hard. Michael Phelps isn't out there doing three sit-ups and then wearing a girdle."

Dara Torres, who won three silver medals in Beijing at age 41 and is competing in Rome, said, "Some manufacturers do an awesome job, but it seems like we're years ahead of where we should be. Personally I wouldn't mind going back to the old-school days. I look back, and the suits are pretty funny to look at now."

In other changes, the word "swimsuit" was added to the rule stipulating that the swimmer cannot be aided in his/her speed, buoyancy or endurance by any device.

Also, competitors must wear swimsuits approved by FINA. They must go to the first call room 20 minutes before the start of their events for a swimsuit inspection, then proceed to the final call room.

New FINA Leadership

Julio Maglione of Uruguay, who ran unopposed for FINA president, will lead FINA as it tackles these new swimsuit issues. Retiring president Mustapha Larfaoui of Algeria was elected FINA Honorary President for Life.

The election was held Friday at the FINA Congress being held in Rome on the side of the world championships.

In his first speech as FINA President, Maglione thanked the 201 national federations for their support and expressed his optimism for the future of FINA. "A new era is just beginning," he said, with tears in his eyes. "I do not want to let you down. I would never forgive myself. I hope to be able to accomplish all the goals proposed and everything they mean in terms of progress and development for FINA."

Larfoui expressed his satisfaction after leading FINA for 21 years: "During this period, we have progressed a lot and it was a privilege and an honor to me to participate and witness this development," he said. "We are today more important, more respected and more recognised worldwide."

FINA Honorary Secretary is Paolo Barelli of Italy while FINA Treasurer is Pipat Paniangvait of Thailand.

The FINA vice presidents are Sam Ramsamy (Africa - South Africa), Dale Neuburger (Americas - U.S), Hironoshin Furuhashi (Asia - Japan), Nory Krutchen (Europe - Luxembourg) and Bill Matson (Oceania - New Zealand).

In noteworthy FINA Bureau elections, Europe elected Gennady Aleshin (Russia) and Paolo Frischknecht (Portugal). Europe's incumbent, Francis Luyce (France), was defeated. Africa re-elected Abd Ed Rahman Amin (Egypt) who was challenged by Ben Ekumbo (Kenya).

In the Americas, Dr. Margo Mountjoy (Canada) will replace retiring FINA Bureau Member and UANA President Eldon Godfrey, while Eugenio Martinez (Cuba) steps in for his retiring brother Guillermo. Orban Mendoza (Puerto Rico) and Coaracy Nunes Filho (Brqazil) were reelected.

Written by

Karen Rosen

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