There is still confusion around about swimwear, not made any easier by poor comminucation to the general swimming community by theasa. I have extracted the text below from the British Swimming Officials Newsletter – February 2010 which seems to be the clearest statement I can find. I have also found this announcement which says that theasa and British swimming are aligned.
"Rules governing swimwear are contained within FINA General Rule GR5 and By Law BL 8
GR5 SWIMWEAR
GR5.1 The swimwear (swimsuit, cap and goggles) of all competitors shall be in good moral taste and suitable for the individual sports discipline and not carry any symbol which may be considered offensive.
GR5.2 All swimsuits shall be non transparent.
GR5.3 The referee of a competition has the authority to exclude any competitor whose swimsuit or body symbols do not comply with this Rule.
GR5.4 Before any swimwear of new design, construction or material is used in competition, the manufacturer of such swimwear must submit the swimwear to FINA and obtain approval of FINA.
BL 8 SWIMWEAR
BL 8.1 All FINA approved swimwear to be used at the Olympic Games and FINA World Championships must be approved by FINA at least twelve (12) months prior to the start of the respective competition. In addition, it must be available for all competitors by 1st January of the year of the Olympic Games or FINA World Championships.
BL 8.2 In swimming competitions the competitor must wear only one swimsuit in one or two pieces. No additional items, like arm bands or leg bands shall be regarded as parts of a swimsuit.
BL 8.3 From January 1st 2010 swimwear for men shall not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below knee. All swimsuits shall be made from textile materials.
It should be noted that BL 8.1 relates only to those specified Championships listed in the By-Law.
British Swimming has also published the following announcement.
In addition to complying with FINA General Rule 5, the swimwear in these competitions must comply with By-Laws 8.2 and 8.3 concerning the style and material used. This does not prevent the use of a zip (or other fastening) as this is not mentioned in these provisions. British Records may be achieved.
However, if a World or European Record is to be claimed then the swimwear must meetthe requirements of the issuing authority. This is separate from the General Rules and By-Laws and is subject to change at any time. A list of approved swimsuits can be found on the FINA website.
2010, the 2009 models can be used in order to protect the athlete from sunburn, jellyfish etc.
- Masters: the same swimwear regulations as per pool swimming will be applied from January 15 2010.
Following the FINA Bureau meeting in January 2010 new rules for Masters and Open Water have been published in a press release.
14. Swimwear:
- Open Water: from June 1, 2010 Open Water Swimwear, for both Men and Women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below the ankle. All Open Water swimsuits shall comply with the FINA Criteria for Materials and Approval Procedures. Until June 2010, the 2009 models can be used in order to protect the athlete from sunburn, jellyfish etc.
- Masters: the same swimwear regulations as per pool swimming will be applied from January 15,
2010.
The bottom line seems to be that FINA approved swimwear is only required for "Olympic Games and FINA World Championships" or if you wish to claim a World or European record! For the rest of us it just needs to be "textile" and meet BL8.2 & 8.3. If you are in any doubt about a particular swimsuit please ask.
Keith
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