swim suit
A swimsuit is a type of swimsuit used in swimming for competitions and competition training . Material and shape allow very fast swimming, but the suits must comply with the rules of the Fédération Internationale de Natation (World Swimming Federation).
definition
Swimsuits have been made of fabric since the rule changes of 2010, nowadays it's mostly a mix of spandex and nylon. They are very close to the body. For men, the “suits” may extend from below the navel down to above the knee (in the form of cycling shorts; one-piece), for women from the neck down to above the knee. Women's suits can be one- or two-piece, sleeves are prohibited, the shoulders must remain free.
Development and design
Since 2006, the sporting goods manufacturers have been developing full suits that almost completely covered the body and sometimes even had long sleeves. The surface of these older polyurethane suits mimicked the skin of a shark and therefore had very little flow resistance . In addition, the suits increase the swimmer's buoyancy in the water and keep the athlete in an aerodynamically favorable position thanks to integrated elastic bands. The LZR Racer model introduced in 2008 by the sporting goods manufacturer Speedo set many new swimming world records . Between 2008 and 2010, 130 new swimming records were set, after which the ban on these suits came into force and competition speeds fell again.
Ban on smooth skin suits
Dubai Charter
After discussions about a "material battle" in swimming and "technological doping", the world swimming federation FINA issued new rules for swimming suits in the so-called Dubai Charter in March 2009 , which include the following restrictions:
- Swimsuits must not extend beyond the neck, shoulders and ankles.
- The thickness according to ISO standard 5084 must not exceed one millimeter.
- The buoyancy must not exceed one Newton (this corresponds to the gravitational force of a mass of around 100 grams).
- Only one swimsuit may be worn.
- All suits of a permitted model must be identical. There must be no custom-made items.
- There must be no external stimulation (e.g. the release of chemical substances, electrical stimulation ).
- Water-impermeable materials may only be used for a maximum of 50% of the surface of the suit. (This rule should apply from January 1, 2010.)
Final ban
During the World Swimming Championships on July 28, 2009, the FINA Congress decided to ban swimming suits of the old style from 2010 onwards.
The following rules have been in effect since 2010, which were later refined:
- For men, the limits of clothing are the knee and the navel.
- For women, the limits are the knee, shoulders and neck.
- The material can be woven, knitted or braided.
- The material thickness is max. 0.8 mm.
- Buoyancy of up to 0.5 Newtons (50 g) is allowed, although this value should also approach zero in the future.
- The material must be permeable to water and allow at least 80 liters per square meter to pass per second.
- Zippers or other locking systems are prohibited.
- Individual modifications of any kind are also prohibited. No taping, but also impregnation is not allowed.
Manufacturer
Various manufacturers offer swimming suits for competitions. The best known and their product lines are:
- Speedo - Aquablade, Fastskin, and LZR
- Nike - LiftSuit and NG-1
- Arena - Powerskin, Arena X-Glide and Carbon Ultra
- Adidas - JetConcept, Hydrofoil, and Adizero
- TYR - Avictor, Fusion, Aquapel, Aquashift, Tracer, AP12, and Avictor
- Dolfin - Titanium
- Blue Seventy - Nero
- ZAOSU - Z-Speed, Z-Racing
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fina Requirements for Swimmwear Approval (FRSA). FINA, January 1, 2017, accessed on July 16, 2017 .
- ↑ Jan Beringer: Nanotechnology in the textile industry - current and future developments . In: Nanotechnology. Molecules - Materials - Microsystems . AT-Fachverlag, No. 4, August 2007 ( pdf ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. )
- ↑ Textile doping in swimming? on scienceblogs.de
- ^ A b Iris Gutierrez: Swimsuit dispute. New rules, old problems on focus.de
- ^ History. 2000's ( Memento of the original from April 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on speedo.com
- ↑ Cai Tore Philippsen: Why are all swimmers fast - only the Germans not?
- ↑ Dubai Charter on FINA requirements for swimwear approval ( Memento of the original from August 16, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; FINA Requirements for Swimwear Approval ( Memento of the original from June 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 107 kB)
- ↑ PR59 - FINA BUREAU MEETING ( Memento of the original from September 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on fina.org
