SportsLine.com wire reports
July 18, 2000
The governing body of U.S. swimming, bowing to pressure from suit
manufacturers, voted Tuesday night to lift the ban on full-length attire at the
Olympic swimming trials next month.
USA Swimming, which voted last month to ban the high-tech bodysuits because
of concerns about availability, reversed course after its board held a special
meeting via conference call.
That means any full-length suit approved by FINA, the world governing
organization, will be allowed at the trials in Indianapolis on Aug. 9-16. The
suits already were cleared for use at the Sydney Olympics and all other meets.
"They should overturn the ban," said Amy Van Dyken, who won four gold
medals at the Atlanta Games four years ago. "USA Swimming needs to take care
of their Olympians. It's a swimsuit, for God's sakes."
The bodysuit is viewed as the most significant advance in competitive
swimwear since the 1970s, leading to an outbreak of record-breaking
performances this year. Studies have shown it improves performance by up to 3
percent, a significant amount in a sport where races are decided by thousandths
of a second.
"The suits are faster than any we've seen," said Jenny Thompson, who
lowered her 8-year-old American record in the 100-meter freestyle last weekend
at a meet in Los Angeles.
The board's reversal came just one day before an arbitration hearing was
scheduled in Irvine, Calif., to hear a grievance filed by one manufacturer, TYR
Sport.
California-based TYR claimed the ban was unnecessary and would hurt swimmers
preparing for the Sydney Games. Another swimwear company, Adidas, offered to
provide free bodysuits for everyone at the trials.
"Given the short time line, we would hope the grievance process would allow
for one last chance to correct itself," TYR spokesman Chris Wilmoth said.
"Our goal is simply to protect those swimmers whose careers are at stake and
preserve the integrity of the sport."
USA Swimming asked four leading suit manufacturers -- TYR, Adidas, Speedo and
Nike -- to make their high-tech suits available to all swimmers by June 14,
giving them plenty of time to get comfortable in the new attire before the
trials.
When only Adidas met the deadline, the board voted June 22 to ban
full-length suits from the trials.
In spite of the board's decision, manufacturers said they could handle the
demand for suits at the trials. They also claimed that swimmers don't need
extensive practice time to get acclimated to their new attire.
"The swimmers need to focus on swimming," Thompson said, "and not the
suits."
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