Take a look at the press release posted on swiminfo.com: www.swiminfo.com/.../6949.asp
Here's a quote that bothers me:
By strategically increasing the surface area, TYR has increased his/her ability to pull without increasing any resistance through the recovery. Just think of it as ascending an aquatic ladder.
Should these be allowed? I would guess that they are o.k. as far as current rules read, but I don't like it. I think these sleeves amount to an aid, sort of like wearing paddles. I guess the question is: what constitutes a swimsuit? Obviously caps are o.k., so you can't argue that it must be one piece.
It is an interesting topic of discussion that these new suits are presenting. How far can suit design go? In some ways I wish we could go back to the basics and require that each swimmer were the same type of suit, made out of the same material. I think this makes it more of a level playing field, instead of using equipment that aids in your speed. While I am at it, why not go back to swimming naked like the original olympic games. Of couse if we did that, then we would have to be on pay per view and not NBC. (See what Janet Jackson has done...lol).
It is an interesting topic of discussion that these new suits are presenting. How far can suit design go? In some ways I wish we could go back to the basics and require that each swimmer were the same type of suit, made out of the same material. I think this makes it more of a level playing field, instead of using equipment that aids in your speed. While I am at it, why not go back to swimming naked like the original olympic games. Of couse if we did that, then we would have to be on pay per view and not NBC. (See what Janet Jackson has done...lol).
