Less than a month after the World Swimming Championships in Rome, the body that governs high school swimming has moved swiftly to ban the high-tech polyurethane suits that were responsible for unexpectedly toppling so a number of world records.
During the eight-day competition in Rome, an astonishing forty-three world records fell to the wayside, leading FINA, international governing body for the sport of swimming, to ban the suits and the NCAA to quickly follow.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the governing body of highs school swim associations, held an emergency meeting Wednesday, August 12th, and moved quickly to join the FINA and the NCAA in the swimsuit ban.
The suits have garnered much controversy since splashing onto the swimming scene, compressing competitors’ bodies and streamlining their abilities in the water. Unfortunately, they also created an unlevel playing field for the sport. According to NFHS spokesperson Becky Oakes, “The rules of swimming have always prohibited the use or wearing of items that would aid in the swimmer’s speed and/or buoyancy.”
From the NFHS press release:
“Effective immediately, swimmers shall be limited to one swimsuit, which shall be constructed of a woven/knit textile material, permeable to water and air, constructed so as not to aid in buoyancy, and shall not contain zippers or other fastening systems. In addition, the suit shall be constructed so that the style/shape for males shall not extend above the waist or below the top of the kneecap and for females shall not extend beyond the shoulders or below the top of the kneecap, and it shall not cover the neck.”
Full Text of the NFHS Press Release Banning High-Tech Swimsuits
