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
Here is the part that makes no sense to me: the FS-Pro legskins ("full pants" I suppose) are not listed but the "full" FS-Pro is listed twice, with two different model numbers. (And what exactly is the FS-Pro "classic?")
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Chris, the classic might be the women's tank.
Rob, thank you for making this point - and we should all consider ourselves warned in advance. If I understand you correctly, it is to say "Wearer beware - if you want your meters (SCM or LCM) times to count for FINA World masters rankings or records - you have to decide if it is worth the risk of wearing a suit that is not on FINA's approved list; it may or MAY NOT be accepted by FINA..."
Yes, very odd language. USMS will continue to submit times to FINA until they are not directed to by FINA ... At what point can/will FINA just stop accepting USMS times? And could they refuse to accept all USMS times, regardless of the suit worn, because compliance cannot be established?
This seems like a temporary fix by USMS with the pending "appeal" as the hook. If FINA is really just "continuing testing of the suits" (as someone suggested), why did it publish an official approved list? Or was this not actually "official"? And if it's not official, why are countries declaring compliance and enacting policies/rules based on it?
If FINA's list remains unchanged on June 19 and is deemed "final" for 2009 by FINA, I don't see how USMS couldn't comply. I can't see FINA accepting non-compliant times after a final ruling. Could they? Swimmers wearing suits would, as Sandi Rousseau put it, effectively be taking a chance that FINA couldn't "track these suits in hindsight"? That is very unpalatable.
On the other hand, as I've said before, I think it's unfair to many US swimmers to abruptly change suit approvals mid year, when the rest of the world has been competing in SCM instead of SCY.
If FINA is really just "continuing testing of the suits" (as someone suggested), why did it publish an official approved list? Or was this not actually "official"? And if it's not official, why are countries declaring compliance and enacting policies/rules based on it?
Two points:
1. There was the wording about the rejected suits being able to resubmit (i.e. the 136 suits) that Presumably this would mean modifications to current suit designs (and, thus, wouldn't help those of use who own the original, unmodified designs).
2. Manufacturers such as Blue Seventy objected to the testing protocol in that permeability was tested with the suit material in an unstretched state. The test lab was going to retest the suits stretched ("as worn") to see if water or air could pass. If so, then they might have to revise their view about the construction of the suits being able to trap air.
USMS has clearly taken the position that they are waiting for the final ruling by FINA before effectively banning suits, so swimmers in USMS meets can continue to wear these suits. However, it's my opinion that if you really want to follow FINAs edict, you should only be wearing suits that FINA has explicitly approved.
And I agree about USMS will need to comply after FINA's final ruling. For now, USMS seems to be taking a "wait and see" approach.
And could they refuse to accept all USMS times, regardless of the suit worn, because compliance cannot be established?
I think that they could and that they well may, although I would appreciate some confirmation or correction from a true rules guru.
Conceptually, the problem is the same as "did she surface before 15m, or not?" :D If the swimmer does not get DQ'd, then the swim counts for the record books, even if someone suspects that the responsible official was distracted at the critical moment. FINA respects the USMS meet results on the point because FINA is satisfied that USMS follows the FINA rule.
With swimwear, USMS has announced that it will follow a rule that FINA may, or may not, accept as consistent with the FINA rule. If FINA does accept USMS's interpretation as OK, then times I swim in meets officiated according to the USMS rule will count. If FINA does not accept USMS's interpretation as OK, then my times will not count in FINA's eyes no matter what I personally do, because there will be no way to demonstrate after the fact that I did (or did not) comply with FINA's rule.
The bottom line to me, then, is that I may as well wear whatever is consistent with my own personal goals. Those goals include not being DQ'd, so I will wear whatever USMS says is OK. But even if FINA's standard turns out to be more restrictive than USMS's, going above and beyond USMS's standard to meet FINA's more restrictive standard is not going to make any difference at all to whether or not my swim shows up in the 2009 FINA TT.
Another point: I realize it may seem as if I think the Rules and Executive Committees have made a mistake, and I most certainly do not think so. Here is why.
If USMS had decided that it would interpret the FINA situation as conservatively as possible, then effective immediately at USMS-sanctioned meets, the officials would have to DQ not just anyone who stepped up to the blocks in a B70 or a Jaked, but anyone who stepped up in a TYR Aquapel or a Fab Swimwear polyester workout bikini. Think of all the DQs and the surprised, disappointed swimmers. I think that DQ-ing all those swimmers just so that swimmers like me can feel surer about our FINA TT chances would be a terrible trade-off.
Also, I assume that USMS will advocate with FINA for FINA to consider USMS's rule consistent with FINA's, rather than inconsistent, so it's not by any means assured that FINA will refuse to recognize USMS results for this interim period.
A thought just crossed my mind that maybe FINA should hire an independent consultant to decide on what the rules regarding suits should be. They've already hired an independent lab to do the testing, why not do the same thing for defining the actual rules?
At first I thought this idea was crazy. How could someone who knows nothing about swimming decide on what should be legal or illegal in a swimsuit? Now I think maybe that's the only party that could do this in an unbiased manner.
Look at the current state of affairs. Lots of people have pointed the finger at FINA for bias in writing the rules and deciding what suits should be on the approved list, but now we're seeing bias from other federations, too. The Italians will allow the Jaked suit at their trials. Do you think they would if Jaked was not an Italian company? Same thing in Japan. The Japanese kid Irie set a world record in an unapproved suit. Now they're miffed at Fina's ruling. How about USMS? I'm sure those on the EC had all the best intentions, but they are also affected by FINA's ruling. I'm sure many of them own suits that didn't make FINA's cut. I just don't think you can be impartial on something that affects you so much.
I really think that only an entity entirely divorced from the sport can have any chance of making an unbiased proposal on what should be and should not be allowed in swimsuit designs.
For clarification ... at Masters meets at this point in time, there is no one writing down what suit you wore when you swam. Also, the FINA Masters World record keeper has not been instructed to change the Masters world record application form in any way to include the brand or model of the suit worn by the competitor. (This change has been made on the FINA World Record form.) So for all practical purposes, this information can not be tracked in hindsight for Masters.
I'm wondering if FINA even cares or has any consideration for USMS or masters swimming at all right now.
Care enough to play hardball and DQ all swim times submitted this season by the USMS for lack of perceived compliance?
It seems that FINA can hardly deal with getting swimsuits tested and a fair list published for the world's elite swimmers.
Is FINA really worrying about what suits masters swimmers are wearing in their masters meets this weekend?
Hey - maybe they are concerned!
But I can't really see it.
I'm not thinking I am ready to break any world records this Sunday at the LC Mission Viejo Meet.
But if I were going for a WR, just in case... I would wear a suit from the approved FINA list -
Who knows?
There might be a FINA official out there watching - and taking notes!
Thanks to the USMS powers-that-be for helping to clear this up. Of course there's still the mystery of what will happen with USMS times achieved now when they're submitted to FINA but I have a feeling that FINA has bigger concerns right now than worrying too much about what suit a masters swimmer was wearing when compiling their top 10 lists. I see chances being pretty high that other masters swimming federations around the world will be following USMS on this anyway.
I wanted to say that I think USMS is doing a great job dealing with this mess. My only complaint right now is how unclear the FINA list is. I wish someone, FINA, USAS, the suit manufacturers, someone, would simplify the list so we know exactly what is on it and what isn't. As it's been pointed out there are some weird things with the list.
At least it's safe to keep wearing my old, slow, stretched-out Tyr suit. And I'm in absolutely no danger of making any FINA top ten or records so I don't need to worry about that either.
then effective immediately at USMS-sanctioned meets, the officials would have to DQ not just anyone who stepped up to the blocks in a B70 or a Jaked, but anyone who stepped up in a TYR Aquapel or a Fab Swimwear polyester workout bikini.
Wouldn't the bikini be okay according to the rules? It doesn't cover the neck or arms, and doesn't extend beyond the pelvis. I was thinking that I could start racing in my string bikini. However, I don't think that it would survive the start:blush:
