There's been a reference already to this, but USA Swimming's Rules & Regulations Committee issued its long awaited interpretation of the FINA suit list.
Since this is a modification to USA Swimming Article 102, the rule change is so amended in USMS rules effective immediately, unless it is painfully rejected or modified (USMS 601.4.7B). That being said, they may choose to state the rest of this differently or interpret it differently, plus the minor issue of how you enforce this.
On May 19, 2009, FINA issued a list of swimsuits approved for competition. The approved list, which was effective immediately and is attached, includes 202 swimsuits. The Rules and Regulations Committee, under the provisions of Article 511.1, has the authority to alter or amend any provision of Part One of our rules to conform to the rules of FINA. Accordingly, effective immediately, Article 102.9 is amended as follows:
102.9.1A: Only swimwear approved by FINA, as reflected on its published list of approved swimwear, may be worn in any USA Swimming sanctioned or approved competition.
(Existing subsections A, B, and C of Article 102.9.1 shall be redesignated as subsections B, C and D, respectively.)
Since the FINA approved list only addressed new model swimsuits submitted by swimsuit manufacturers, swimmers will, until otherwise directed by FINA, also be able to wear traditional swimsuits not on the FINA approved list as long as the swimsuit meets the following criteria:
1. For female swimmers, the swimsuit shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulders or past the pelvis, and
2. For male swimmers, the swimsuit shall not extend above the navel or below the knees.
In addition to the 202 approved swimsuits on the attached FINA list, there were an additional 136 swimsuits that could be resubmitted to FINA for reconsideration and possible approval. The expected decision date for such approval is June 19, 2009. At such time as FINA publishes any list of additional swimsuits approved for competition, those additional swimsuits will also be approved for USA Swimming sanctioned or approved competitions.
(remainder snipped because it applies to World Championship Trials only)
So it looks like you can wear your 15 year old The Finals suit in the relative safety that it complies with the rules.
Patrick King
So it looks like you can wear your 15 year old The Finals suit in the relative safety that it complies with the rules.
Cool. Wonder where I left mine? I am going to need something to race in since it seems that most of my out-of-date ankle-length and knee-length suits are no longer OK.
(FSII backstroke suit, our acquaintance was too short. I will miss you and your powerful torso compression.)
So older technical suits that the manufacturer didn't bother submitting to FINA are no longer allowed? That's kind of lame. According to these rules the Tyr Fusion 2 legskins I've been using for 3 years are no longer legal. Since they're completely permeable and using a traditional fabric I can't imagine that they failed the test, it has to be that Tyr only submitted their latest Tracer suits for testing. It's even more odd that Tyr still manufactures and sells the Fusion 2.
I know USMS hasn't made an official statement on all this yet but in general isn't their official policy to follow USAS in rules matters?
I guess I'll either need to break out an old-school suit or upgrade to a pricier new suit. Lame.
Also, looking at the list closer, it looks like the only approved Tyr suits are the "Full" models. So this means that the legskin and kneeskin versions of the Tracer Light and Rise are also illegal? This whole thing feels so sketchy to me. Like there's been some massive miscommunication between the manufacturers, FINA, USAS, the testers, etc. The Speedo FSII's are nowhere to be found on the list either.
So older technical suits that the manufacturer didn't bother submitting to FINA are no longer allowed? That's kind of lame. According to these rules the Tyr Fusion 2 legskins I've been using for 3 years are no longer legal. Since they're completely permeable and using a traditional fabric I can't imagine that they failed the test, it has to be that Tyr only submitted their latest Tracer suits for testing. It's even more odd that Tyr still manufactures and sells the Fusion 2.
I know USMS hasn't made an official statement on all this yet but in general isn't their official policy to follow USAS in rules matters?
I guess I'll either need to break out an old-school suit or upgrade to a pricier new suit. Lame.
Also, looking at the list closer, it looks like the only approved Tyr suits are the "Full" models. So this means that the legskin and kneeskin versions of the Tracer Light and Rise are also illegal? This whole thing feels so sketchy to me. Like there's been some massive miscommunication between the manufacturers, FINA, USAS, the testers, etc. The Speedo FSII's are nowhere to be found on the list either.
I am in total agreement with you. I plan to wear my Tyr Fusion II short john or aquapel this weekend at a USA meet since I am not looking for times just trying to pace one of my swimmers to a cut off time. I'll let you know how it goes.
Since this is a modification to USA Swimming Article 102, the rule change is so amended in USMS rules effective immediately, unless it is painfully rejected or modified (USMS 601.4.7B). That being said, they may choose to state the rest of this differently or interpret it differently, plus the minor issue of how you enforce this.
Patrick, what does this mean exactly? That the USA Swimming ruling is binding USMS right now? Seems like people are assuming it is not.
Sounds like the Blueseventy is out.
As are all but two Tyr suits, all Nike suits, and all Speedo FSII suits. That's an awful lot of suits I've seen worn at Masters meets. Especially since it seems the older Tyr, Nike, and FSII suits are quite popular.
From the rule book quotations in this thread it does seem clear to me. The only thing which seems sketchy is the FINA list. I know they can't go back and test every model of every tech suit but the manufacturers should at least submit all the models that are currently widely available. It would also be nice to see a "Failed" list to see if a suit failed testing for one reason or another or if it just wasn't submitted for testing in the first place.
