A Dunedin sports scientist involved in testing controversial new space-age swimwear is adamant the equipment is perfectly legal.
The situation came to a head at the European Championships in the Netherlands at the weekend, when Frenchman Alain Bernard broke three world records while wearing a fullbodied suit.
To date, 11 world records have been broken by athletes using the swimwear.
This prompted French swimming bosses to question the use of the swimwear. Concerns about the suits' floatability have been raised, with some believing the suits are giving swimmers an unfair advantage.
However, David Pease (40), a lecturer in biomechanics at the University of Otago School of Physical Education, who was involved in testing the swimwear, has dismissed the criticism and insists they meet international regulations set out by world swimming governing body Fina.
‘‘We did a lot of testing on these things. The issue being raised is that they might be buoyant, but they're not,‘‘ Pease said yesterday.
‘‘We did a lot of testing on measuring buoyancy because that's one of the criteria for any suit that Fina OKs. It can't provide any buoyancy, so we made very sure that was the case.''
Pease was involved in testing the swimwear at the University of Otago's swimming flume - the only flume in the southern hemisphere - and one of only a handful of people outside the Speedo company to see the suits prior to their launch.
The suits underwent about 400 hours of flume testing time in Dunedin.
While Pease knew the suits would affect a swimmer's performances, even he has been surprised by the flurry of world records by athletes using the new gear.
‘‘Because of all the advancements gone into it, we were expecting a bit of an effect but I think this has probably outdone things a bit.
‘‘By my count there have been 11 world records from athletes using the suits.
‘‘Olympic trial meets tend to be really fast. Often there tends to be more world records at trials than at the Olympics. But the fact everyone is wearing the same suit leads me to believe there is something going on.''
Pease said the black material used in the suits was the same as that used in Speedo swimwear designed for the Athens Olympics. The difference centred around side panels, which helped reduce drag. Fabric welds were used to hold seams together, rather than stitching.
‘‘I think the main difference is that there is a lot more compression around the lower abdomen. That seems to be allowing athletes, as they fatigue, to kind of hold them in place and enables their body position to sit better in the water.''
The suits were ‘‘a tight fit'' and athletes were finding it took between 20 and 30 minutes to get into a brand new suit. As suits became worn in, that time reduced.
Fina has insisted the suits be made available to all competitors before Beijing, and Pease expects many swimmers will at least trial the swimwear before the Olympics.
‘‘Not everyone will be wearing them because a lot of countries have sponsorship obligations with certain manufacturers, but many of the bigger countries can get technical equipment exemptions.
‘‘There should be a pretty good uptake, especially when the athletes see how things are going at the moment.''
As for records, Pease is quietly confident more times will be reduced before Beijing, particularly when the United States and Australian Olympic trials take place.
‘‘You always get records broken at Olympic trial meets everyone has to go flat out to get selected.''
