Category — Speedo LZR Controversy

We agree with what he’s saying. Via sportinglife.com:

These new suits are giving people something like a two per cent advantage, which over my distance is half a second, half a body length. That is a huge difference.

When you look at it as a purist, I would like to see people back in swimming trunks, but that is not happening because technology is taking over and every manufacturer is making these new suits.

I don’t want it to get to a point, like in Formula One, where the person with the best design in their suit is going to win the race rather than it being the best swimmer.

I would rather we went back to swimming trunks for blokes and bikinis for women which, let’s face it, made the sport more attractive anyway. Now we all look like sharks or whales.

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If AP writer Nancy Armour really believes that the Speedo controversy is much ado about nothing, why doesn’t she ask American athletes not to wear the LZR swimsuit. If it doesn’t make any difference in how an athlete performs, then why do they have to change suits?

So long as there is doubt whether the LZR Speedo is giving unfair advantage to swimmers who use it, I can’t understand why FINA would continue to sanction its use. I also don’t understand why otherwise honorable athletes — I’m looking at you Americans and Australians — would be okay with using it.

Whatever happened to your sense of fairness? Whatever happened to having an even playing field? Are Olympic winners now going to be determined by what athletes wear and not whether they are the fastest or the strongest? Maybe the ancient Greeks who competed buck naked have the right idea after all.

Anyways, for those of you monitoring the LZR Racer controversy, FINA is reportedly meeting on June 3 to review the swimsuits made by other manufacturers. I wonder what FINA will do if these other manufacturers come up with swimsuits that enable its users to swim much faster than those using the LZR. Will Americans and Australians cry “technological doping” as the Italians are doing now. Or will they accept it without question despite the possibility that they may be at a disadvantage.