Controversy over now banned high tech swimsuits as Michael Phelps loses

Swimming Day Three - 13th FINA World Championships

Michael Phelps was beaten for the first time in an individual race since 2005. Has Phelps been slacking or lost his edge? Probably not. He was trounced at the at the world swimming championships by Paul Biedermann of Germany, who was wearing a buoyant polyurethane suit, the Arena X-Glide. There’s a feeling that these suits give swimmers an unfair advantage, and that’s the real reason Biedermann won over Phelps, who stuck with his tried and true Speedo. In fact, in the first three days of the championship, 15 world records were beaten. Rather an astounding feat.

Biedermann acknowledged he had an edge in his Arena X-Glide, an exceptionally buoyant polyurethane suit that has surpassed the Speedo LZR Racer worn by Phelps. All those suits are on the way out, to be banned by governing body FINA by May. But at this meet, the bodysuits are legal and Biedermann is the world champion.

“The suits make a difference,” he said. “I hope there will be a time when I can beat Michael Phelps without these suits. I hope next year. I hope it’s really soon.” Phelps, who has won a record 14 Olympic gold medals, sounded eager for a rematch. “It’s going to be fun next year,” he said, “when swimming is back to swimming.”

Biedermann [said he] competed in the best suit he could find. “It’s not my problem,” he said. “It’s the problem of FINA. They should handle it really fast.”

[From the Seattle Times]

Well they are – FINA banned the suits after Phelps’ coach said he wouldn’t swim in any races where the buoyant suits were allowed. According to USA Today, a “majority” of the swimmers at the world’s competition were wearing the suits, which is how so many records fell.

To try to get there, the FINA bureau, the organization’s decision-making board, decided Tuesday it agrees with a resolution passed last week by FINA members that restricts swimsuit material to permeable “textiles” (the full definition of which will be decided by the scientific panel) and outlaws full-body suits, which came into vogue in 2000.

Men’s suits will no longer be allowed to extend past the navel or knees. Women’s suits can’t go past the knees or cover the neck or shoulders.

[From USA Today]

In equally exciting swimming news, US swimmer Ricky Berens tore the back of his swimsuit right before his race World Swimming Championships on Sunday, baring his butt for all to see. “I kind of freaked out for just a second,” Berens said. “I felt like [the hole] was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good show.” And some great pictures.

FINA Swimming World Championships - Paul Biedermann won the Mens 200m freestyle against Micheal Phelps - Day Three - Rome

FINA Swimming World Championships - Day Three - Rome

Swimming Day Three - 13th FINA World Championships

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15 Responses to “Controversy over now banned high tech swimsuits as Michael Phelps loses”

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  1. Annie says:

    I can understand the ban.

    In swimming every little millisecond counts and those suits can mean that. Any kind of tread can push you back just a tad and make you work harder to move forward.

  2. barneslr says:

    They should all just swim naked. That’ll even the playing field.

    Plus, I’d be a much bigger fan of competitive swimming if they did that!

  3. LL says:

    If they swim naked it will make the underwater camera shots really exciting. Or maybe not. There’s always that problem with shrinkage.

  4. princess pee says:

    I do agree with the ban, but I am loving how the article makes Phelps sound like a cry baby with his coach saying he won’t race against people who might beat him. Hee.

  5. Green Is Good says:

    I’m not savvy with this sport, but I can’t understand how a bathing suit can give one swimmer an edge over another swimmer not wearing the same suit.

    Team Naked Swimming! Just like the Greeks did. Or maybe just marble bags.

  6. Lem says:

    eww naked swimming?
    no thanks, at least not in high def.

    an edge is an edge. that’s what sport is about. better helmets, faster bikes, more streamlined suits. (Green it’s about drag and resistance and apparently buoyancy)
    No one told Phelps he couldn’t wear the suit. The all have options. Shave, don’t shave, body glide, full suits, half suits, speedos.
    So if there is a supersuit. By all means wear it. There is no one competing at that level who can’t afford the suit so…

  7. Feebee says:

    Oh WA WA WA, so the american swimmer got beaten by a german. Maybe the swimsuit had something to do with it, maybe Phelps didn’t peak as well as he did for Beijing – he did take a sizeable amount of time off for a bit of R&R and smoking the odd bong (not that there’s anything wrong with that, unless you want to stay a world champion). There was controversy around the lazer when it was first introduced. If he wasn’t tied to Speedo he’d be wearing Arena.

    WA WA WA

  8. Annie says:

    I’ll pass on the naked as well.

    There are just some things I don’t want to see flopping into the water, in the water and out of the water.

  9. icky says:

    every participating swimmer should be wearing the same regulation issued swim gear; that is the only way to correctly measure their individual skill and determine the rightful winner

  10. hmm says:

    I find it laughable that either Phelps or his coach or complaining because last year they were the ones wearing the questionable suit and now they were beaten at their own game. Phelps comes across as a sore loser and a crybaby.

  11. Steve says:

    Why doesn’t Phelps just wear the suite himself? Seems like it would save a lot of hassle.

  12. Vibius says:

    I understand their argument, but its straight up hypocrisy. Didn’t the swimmers who could afford the LZRs have an advantage up until this race? Not everyone at the Olympics was wearing them. Anything that is worn to cover more than a normal swim suit is cheating. They minimize a persons normal drag. These suits minimize a persons normal buoyancy.

    They are right. Ban the special suits. Along with the REST of them.

  13. R says:

    Amen Vibius, they should go back to old school “banana Hammocks” as Lochte said in a press conference, if you ban one suit, then ban ALL of them.

  14. Verline says:

    I was thinking it was going to be some boring old submit but you suprised me.