What will Master's do about this?
PRESS RELEASE
N°58/2009
FINA BUREAU MEETING
Rome (ITA) - July 28, 2009
Rome (ITA), July 28, 2009 – On its first meeting held today in Rome (ITA), the 2009-2013 FINA Bureau fully complied with the decision of the FINA Congress, held on July 24, 2009 related with the procedure concerning swimwear approval. As it was also decided by the Congress, these rules are now By-Laws rules, which allow the Bureau to further control, update and correct any deviation to the process or to proceed with any necessary adjustment related to the development of the swimsuit technology.
The FINA Bureau decisions on swimsuits include:
MATERIAL – The material of the swimsuits will definitively be constituted only by textile fabric(s). The definition of “textile” will be made by a group of scientific experts chosen by FINA and led by Prof. Jan-Anders Manson, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne (SUI). This definition will be available to manufacturers by no later than September 30, 2009. The first definition of “textile” to be further confirmed by this group is: “Material consisting of, natural and/or synthetic, individual and non consolidated yarns used to constitute a fabric by weaving, knitting, and/or braiding.”
SHAPE – For men, the swimsuit shall not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor extend below knee. Furthermore, no zippers or other fastening system is allowed.
USE – In the regulation approved by the Congress, the swimmer can only wear one swimsuit and no taping is allowed.
TESTS – Only measurable scientific tests will be performed within the frame of the swimwear approval procedure. For thickness, the 1mm limit will be adjusted to 0.8mm, for buoyancy the present value of 1 Newton will be reduced to 0.5 (FINA will even consider the limit of 0 Newton), and for permeability the material(s) used must have at any point a value of more than 80l/m2/second. Permeability values are measured on material with a standard multidirectional stretch of 25%. These parameters will be further considered by the above mentioned scientific group.
CONSISTENCY – Swimsuits effectively manufactured and used shall correspond to and be fully consistent with submitted samples. Any modification before use (including impregnation) is prohibited. Moreover, there shall be no variation/modification for individual swimmers.
APPLICATION – Considering the time needed for manufacturers to produce their swimsuits, the submission dates and the implementation of the rules are applicable from 2010 only in Swimming competitions.
In addition to these decisions, the FINA Bureau also approved the new FINA Committees and Commissions for the period 2009-2013.
Finally, it was also established that the Diving Qualification event for the 1st Youth Olympic Games (August 2010 in Singapore) will be held in Mexico City (MEX), in April 2010.
FINA Communications Department • Tel.: (41-21) 310 4710 • Fax: (41-21) 312 6610 • www.fina.org
From a prior post in another thread:
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Originally Posted by The Fortress
Perhaps USMS is waiting for FINA to make a(nother) statement about the applicability of its ban to masters?
Exactly. Kathy Casey posted this over on the Nationals forum:
Regarding the FINA swimsuit rules, the FINA Executive Director and one of the FINA Masters Technical Commission members said those were not meant for Masters. However, we are waiting to hear an official statement from the FINA Masters Technical Committee as a whole about how these swimwear rules impact Masters.
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Kathy Casey
I think USMS should do what the NCAA just did: Screw FINA, and adopt its own rule. With the possible exception of the permeability standard (who cares whether jammers are permeable anyway?) the NCAA rule looks pretty easy to implement and judge.
At this point, I no longer care what rule USMS adopts, but I see no reason to wait around while FINA stumbles and bumbles along.
Regarding the tie string, the NCAA rule allows it:
The swimsuit shall not have any zippers or fasteners other than a waist tie for a brief or a jammer.
Pardon me, but I very much give a damn about masters swimming. Most of the instances cited in which USMS rules differ from other governing bodies do not make USMS swimmers faster and appear to me to be an accommodation primarily to older swimmers. The suits just make people go faster. That is a very significant difference.
By the way, I think I'm plenty "good" even though I can't compete in USAS or the international stage. I do very well with a real life and limited training time, legitimately competing against similarly situated people. USMS is not "beer league softball". I find it to be pretty serious competition.
Yes, so do I. I care about master's swimming and I don't really believe that USMS is a 'beer league.' However, my point is that even my mother when she was still alive didn't give a damn about my swimming and didn't know anything about it. My youngest son is a lifelong athlete and doesn't know a thing or care a thing about master's swimming. It's those kinds of folks I was referring to when I said that no one cares about what we do or how we do it. That's most of the world.
Pardon me,but Dave Radcliff is a hell of a good swimmer,but at 75 he is not competitive in USAS.I consider myself pretty good and very serious,but at 60 I would also not be competitive.(I have seen some 80+ swimmers who look just fine in a Speedo,that is one of the great things about Masters Swimming.)
Allen, I can't argue with anything you say. I consider myself to be a VERY serious swimmer as well and reasonably competitive in USMS. I am not competitive in USAS. I have also seen older swimmers who look very buff. Dave Radcliff is one good example. However, I have seen EXTREMELY FIT AND FAST older swimmers who do not look particularly good with flesh hanging out. I can PM you with a list of very fast (National and World champions, Olympians and record holders) master's swimmers who don't LOOK fit via the magazine model norms. Just because the flesh hangs out does not mean that they are not fit. These people do not need to get in shape, as one poster recently opined. But, if they feel more comfortable swimming in a suit that covers that flesh why not have the chance? If they want it to hang out, that should be an option as well.
I wouldn't be surprised if FINA said these rules didn't apply to Masters.Of course there is almost nothing FINA could do now that would surprise me.I suspect that USMS will wait for the FINA Masters Technical committee to make an announcement before reaching a decision.(On a personal note,I hope Masters gives us more time in the suits.I ordered a Jaked for Nats,but the second time I put it on it ripped and the replacement won't arrive in time.)
...People should be allowed to wear the suits they are most comfortable in, provided they aren't actual wetsuits but suits that have been at least approved in 2009 and before.
If Fina isn't going to allow zippers, that's going back about 1989 and earlier. Didn't Speedo have a womens racing suit with a high neck and zipper back in the early 90s?
A woman could theoretically be disqualified for wearing a fashion suit with a plastic snap closer at the back.
If Fina isn't going to allow zippers, that's going back about 1989 and earlier. Didn't Speedo have a womens racing suit with a high neck and zipper back in the early 90s?
A woman could theoretically be disqualified for wearing a fashion suit with a plastic snap closer at the back.
The S-2000. Came out in 1992 for both men and women. A few men tried it but it didn't catch on then. The aquablades started catching on with men around 1996.
Not really. Maybe to be competitive, people feel more pressure into buying one?
There are plenty of masters swimmers who refuse to plunk down several hundred dollars on a suit that lasts maybe one season.
No one is forced into needless spending.
I think what he's saying is that it's good motivation for an adult athlete to start looking a bit more fit instead of relying on the suit as a cover up rather than a time saver.
At the end of the day if someone is more inclined to swim and compete because they have a full suit for modesty reasons, that's great.
Meant to say "NOT forced to wear a tech suit" but got too typing too quickly.
I would agree that if someone is using a bodysuit to cover-up because they don't want to take the time to get fit, then that isn't a good reason to wear one.
But those people aren't the ones I am talking about anyway. While I understand Midas's point about them not being a major voice, I do believe everyone's point/voice should be heard and considered for USMS and it's members overall best interest.
What will Master's do about this?
You would think that masters will follow the same route.
Although the percentage is very few...for those who make top ten FINA times, (performed at a masters meet)...there will be much confusion in ascertaining that the swim was done without the tech suit.
How would meet organizers or officials keep tabs on who swam their time and with what kind of suit?
It may be way too confusing.
If you are not going to comply specifically with FINA's rule, why bother in the first place?
FINA may make an exempation for master swimmers. They may allow masters to wear bodysuits because of some of the previous issues people have talked about in regards to older swimmers bodies.
If FINA exempts masters from the new rulings, then usms and other masters groups aren't ignoring FINA's rules.
