New rules announced today!
BBC
World swimming governing body Fina has moved to limit the impact of the controversial hi-tech swimsuits.
Last year saw an astonishing 108 world records broken, 79 of them by swimmers wearing one suit, the Speedo LZR Racer.
But following a three-day meeting in Dubai, Fina has stipulated swimsuits should not cover the neck and must not extend past the shoulders and ankles.
... opponents of the hi-tech suits argue the buoyancy they create amounts to "technological doping".
And matters came to a head in December when 17 world records tumbled at the European Short-Course Championships with the sight of swimmers squeezing into more than one suit in an attempt to compress their bodies and trap air for buoyancy dismaying many observers...
Article
Pay attention to how many girls are pulling on the sides of their suits when they finish.
I know they do, but any more than they have with any other suit? This seems to be commonplace regardless of what kind of suit you're wearing.
I've seen a women's backstroke suit fail (zipper) which is in the front. The poor swimmer grabbed a towel and went outside the locker room to find someone to grab her husband to get her the backup suit she had brought to the meet. Definitely a hazard and I always have a backup suit with me when I go to change into a speed suit, just in case.
The armholes are too big on some women's suits, which can result in "fallout" on racing starts or even during tight streamlines. I do not wear Speedo suits for that reason; the Tyr cut/fit work fine for me.
I can't comment on tech suits cut/fit since none are made in my size.
I know they do, but any more than they have with any other suit? This seems to be commonplace regardless of what kind of suit you're wearing.
From my experience, yes. They are tighter and therefore less forgiving. I think a lot of women would pick the top over the bottom in "modesty" suiting.
Say you want to take the top down (as men often do) to keep the straps from digging into your shoulders while you wait for your next race, but you don't want the (literal) PITA of taking the whole suit off.
I've always been jealous that men can just whip their suit down or take it off immediately. I often go in the locker room to take the top half of the suit down and put on a t shirt.
Here's the pertinent section:
The restriction was not intended to apply to athletic supporters or modesty type wear. For purposes of the one swimsuit restriction, one (1) swimsuit may include the wearing of a single pair of “briefs” or “bikini bottoms” to ensure the modesty and privacy of swimmer.
Also I found it interesting that Stratton acknowledges the buoyancy of the suits...
edit: Syd, I would say yes, wearing jammers could get you disqualified.
Alshammar remarks, "I would almost claim that's a bit sexist saying that the men can cover their private parts up with briefs and women can only also wear briefs."
She sure does have a point (whether or not that point applies to what she actually wore to get DQ'd). I can see why a tank suit under the tech suit would be an issue, since it provides some abdominal support. But if a "brief" or "bikini bottom" is OK for modesty, why not a "bikini" top? Certainly a Janet Jackson style wardrobe malfunction would be immodest by most people's standards.
