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CAS Clears Bodysuits

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has agreed with FINA and cleared the way for the bodysuits to used by swimmers. FINA's controversial decision to allow swimmers to use the suits was being challenged at the CAS by the Australian Olympic Committee.

The original concern regarding the suits was that FINA may have breached its own rules regarding the use of devices by swimmers that "may aid speed, buoyancy or endurance" in competition. FINA had previously determined that the swimsuits were not a device or technical equipment.

While the CAS ruling did back the FINA position, it did not clarify the issue of whether or not the suits constitute, devices that "may aid a swimmer's speed, buoyancy or endurance". In the ruling handed down by CAS member Richard McLaren of Canada, the ruling stated that it is "not for CAS to offer an opinion" on whether the suits are actually performance enhancing or not.

This of course still leaves open the entire question of whether the suits are in fact performance enhancing or not. As a result the Australian Olympic Committee has informed Australian Swimming that the situation was still unresolved.

It leaves open the potential for a swimmer to question the performances of other swimmers who may be competing wearing the suit, by arguing that the suits offered an unfair advantage by being performance enhancing and that the results would be unfair, since he or she did not compete in such a suit.

Letter to the Editor: Re: Australian Swimming Trials

With the advent of full-length body suits, the whole nature of competitive swimming has been changed from a "natural sport", in which the human body interfaces naturally with the water, into an "implement sport" in which a body suit intervenes between the body and its natural contact with the water.

According to the manufacturer's advertising, not only does the suit have "gripper fabric" to "grip and feel the water", but it is also designed to provide "an optimum silhouette", "control the flow of water" and thus "reduce drag".

In effect, the swimmer is encased in a racing shell that sloughs off water resistance, while the special "grippers" on the medial surfaces of the upper arms enable a swimmer to grip the water much like using a swim paddle.

One must ask to what extent sponsorship of the sport and endorsement fees to leading swimmers and coaches have influenced this radical change."World Records" set by swimmers wearing one of these Novelty Suits should be asterisk-marked, viz. (* N.S.R.) * Novelty Suit Record. Maybe there should be two sets of records starting January 1, 2000, with and without N.S.R.'s.

Cecil Colwin
Ottawa, Canada

Hall of fame coach Cecil Colwin has been involved in competitive swimming for more than 50 years. He has long been known for his work on the technical aspects and history of swimming. He has written 2 bestselling books, "Swimming Into The 21st Century" and "Swimming Dynamics".