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With science and technology advancing athletic performance across all sports, swimming's Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) governing body has decided to limit the amount and type of materials that can be used to make the fancy swimsuits worn by elite swimmers such as Michael Phelps.

The new rules won't affect the FINA World Championships taking place this week at the Foro Italico in Rome, where six new world records have already been set by swimmers in suits made from materials such as polyurethane, and Phelps has already won a gold metal. (Phelps won eight gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Beijing last year.)

Such attire—more like a wetsuit than a swimsuit—is believed to have contributed to the 108 world records set last year and nearly 30 so far this year, the Associated Press reports.

FINA has for several months been reviewing procedures for swimwear approval, namely in the areas of the swimsuits' material, thickness, use, shape and availability. The organization voted overwhelmingly last week to limit swimsuit coverage to between the waist and knees for men, and not beyond the shoulders or below the knees for women, according to the AP. The new rule also says suits must be made from textiles (as opposed to titanium alloys and other composites) although FINA has yet to provide a more complete definition of this.

Speedo, one of the most prominent swimsuit companies, makes body-hugging apparel that mimics shark skin, alternating between something like the rough dermal denticles found around the fish's nose and smoother derma located farther back on its body, according to a 2004 Scientific American article examining the technology behind these swimsuits. Some Speedo suits also feature titanium-silicon scales on the inner forearm that grip the water better on down strokes, as well as rubber bumps across the chest to help reduce resistance. TYR Sport, Inc. and Nike are two other companies that make high-tech swimwear.

Image of Phelps © moose manda via Flickr.com

5 Comments

1. 1. hotblack 03:38 AM 7/28/09

   Swimmers should swim nude. Since no two suits will fit exactly the same, and the coefficient of drag will thus not be the same, and races are won and lost over such miniscule differences, then we ought to let nature decide who is the faster swimmer. Makes it harder to telecast to americans though.

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2. 2. krabcat in reply to hotblack 04:33 AM 7/28/09

   the fcc would just put black bars where they are needed or maybe the fuzzy pixels, i like the fuzzy pixels :)

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3. 3. Jokunen 10:03 AM 7/28/09

   Maybe putting a price limit to the garments would make them more accessible to everyone. If there would be say a 500 USD limit for the price of the suit, there would not be such fancy high tech creations in use anymore.
   That's like in crash rallies, where you have to sell your car after the event at fixed price if someone is interested into buying it. That does limit the amount of money one is willing to invest into that gear.
   
   I'm not against them swimming nude, but then we might see the rise of all kinds of skin creams and or tattoos made to enhance the skin properties.

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4. 4. Steve Skeete 10:00 PM 7/28/09

   Once upon a time it used to be said, may the best man win. Now it is, may the best technical team win. With technology and drugs to assist the athlete, all sports are rapidly being reduced to professional wrestling - you know it 's not real, and in a way, you don't care.

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5. 5. tlinget 07:10 PM 7/30/09

   krabcat :
   Some swimmers might be embarrased to find that others have bigger pixels then others.

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