Craig Lord's rather inflammatory article www.swimnews.com/.../6918 on the possibility that USMS will depart from FINA vis a vis allowed swim suits raises a fundamental issue:
If masters swimming allows a more lenient policy regarding suit technology than FINA swimming, will this help or hurt our status in the swimming world?
I love the high tech suits, and I think FINA has been boneheaded in many ways, but I personally think that the creation of a two-tier system--regular swimming and masters "handicapped" swimming--would be bad for our sport and only marginalize us in the world of athletics.
If the choice comes down to two options--abide by FINA's suit rulings OR permit suits like the B70 for masters (if it is outlawed by FINA for "real" swimmers), which side would you support?
How many FINA unapproved suits do you think will be manufactured once FINA gets around to finalizing their list?
Very few. The marketing will change too. Just as thongs for men are marketed only to European beach-goers, and wetsuts to triathletes, there could be suits that have some utility in settings other than FINA-sanctioned competition and so stay on the market for those uses. But for a suit like, say, the Jaked 01, which would seem to have no real use outside top-level swimming competition, the potential market for it might end up being so small that they stop making it anyway.
The legal issues here relating to anti-trust and unfair competition laws on a national and international scale could be fascinating.
How many FINA unapproved suits do you think will be manufactured once FINA gets around to finalizing their list?
Very few. The marketing will change too. Just as thongs for men are marketed only to European beach-goers, and wetsuts to triathletes, there could be suits that have some utility in settings other than FINA-sanctioned competition and so stay on the market for those uses. But for a suit like, say, the Jaked 01, which would seem to have no real use outside top-level swimming competition, the potential market for it might end up being so small that they stop making it anyway.
The legal issues here relating to anti-trust and unfair competition laws on a national and international scale could be fascinating.
