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Source: Reuters -
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The hi-tech swimsuits that have led to a deluge of world records
will be banned from next year when the sport will revert to
costumes made from textiles, swimming's governing body FINA
said.
"The material can only be textile fabric," FINA executive director
Cornel Marculescu told a news conference.
"The shape (of the costume) - for men it shall not extend above the
naval or below the knee. For women it shall not extend above the
neck, beyond the shoulders or below the knee."
Last week FINA indicated the changes would be implemented in
January but on Tuesday it said they might not be in place until May
2010.
Controversy over all-polyurethane suits has overshadowed the world
championships in Rome, where the rapid rate at which records are
falling has heightened fears for the sport's credibility.
"The evolution is that we will go to textiles as soon as possible.
We'll change the shape as soon as possible," Marculescu
added.
FINA said a scientific committee would be appointed to define
textile fabric for its regulations by the end of September after
its executive discussed how to implement the decision to dump the
latest suits made at a congress last week.
The regulations regarding the outfits' thickness will also be
amended.
"The thickness of the suit can be 0.8 millimetres from the current
one millimetre and the buoyancy will be 0.5 Newtons," Marculescu
said.
World records
FINA had agreed only in June to allow the all-polyurethane suits,
which critics say help buoyancy by trapping air next to the
body.
Manufacturers deny this, but FINA has now reversed the June
decision after protests from national federations fed up with the
controversy.
Last week the governing body said world records set with the
new-generation suits would stand in the new regime, but Marculescu
suggested this position could be revised if they proved
unbeatable.
"If the future tells us there are no more records, we'll see," he
said.
Some swimwear manufacturers have expressed dismay at the decision
to revert to textiles.
However, Jaked, whose new-generation suits have been used to break
many records recently, said they were untroubled by the
developments.
"Jaked is always serene and positive," chairman Francesco Fabbrica
said.
"We are always ready for new challenges with new products. The
important thing is to be quick."
