Suits: You
The recent FINA Bureau meeting in Bangkok did not have a happy finish for some older swimmers as it was announced that full-body swimsuits would be banned for masters from 1st January 2010.
Previously there had been some confusion over whether newly introduced rules on swimming attire governed masters events, with some national governing bodies making their own rulings on the subject. However, the FINA press release appears to have now put the matter beyond doubt.
The issue of suits is a controversial one at all levels of the sport, with some masters swimmers likely to be disappointed that they will no longer be able to benefit from the widely reported performance-enhancing qualities of state of the art suits. The ability of full-body suits to ‘hold things in’ will also be lost.
‘I am really disappointed,’ one masters swimmer told The Wobbly Block. ‘Without my suit I’m going to have to train really hard to set a new personal best. It’s a bit of a disaster.’
