Banned Swimsuit - Technological Doping

Banned Swimsuit – Technological Doping

Technical committee of International swimming Federation (FINA) has issued following condition for swimsuit approval effective from 01 January 2010.

Type of material: The material used for swimsuits can be only “Textile Fabric(s)” defined for the purpose of these rules as material consisting of, natural and/or synthetic, individual and none consolidated yarns used to constitute a fabric by weaving, knitting, and/or braiding.

Surface treatment of the textile fabric: Any material added on to the surface of the textile fabric (e.g. coating, printing, impregnation) shall not close the original open mesh structure of the base textile fabric. The treated material shall further comply with all requirements in particular in regard to thickness, permeability and flexibility. This part of the rule does not apply to logos and labels. This applies to both the manufacturing level and the actual use of the swimsuit.

Because of these new rules technologically advanced swimsuits like Speedo LZR would be banned. Normally these swimsuits are made of Spandex (Lycra), Polyurethane or any other material with exceptional elasticity and drag reducing properties. These materials revolutionized many areas of the clothing industry.

High-tech swimwear is manufactured for the purpose of aiding swimmers in competitions by reducing friction and drag in water, increasing the efficiency of the swimmer’s forward motion. The tight fits allow for easy movement and to reduce muscle vibration, thus reducing the drag. By studying the sharkskin, scientists found that human skin is inadequate at “slicing” the water because of its porosity. Sharkskin is made of scales spaced very closely together and the grooves in between the scales that produce drag resistant skin. The ridges allow water to pass around the shark more efficiently. This type of finding applied in recent swimwear designing

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses used to identify areas in which the drag occurs. Skin-drag is inherent in swimsuit material properties, since fluid flows over the fabric, and in local flow conditions, speed in particular. It is induced by the local velocity gradients that create a shear force due to the viscous properties of the fluid. To test the fabrics and create a suit with the lowest drag, researchers used world’s most advanced water flumes and low-speed wind tunnels.

Main performances of high-tech swimsuits are: 1) Pressure drag is reduced by compressing swimmer’s body into a more streamlined shape. 2) Viscous drag is reduced by providing a textured surface. 3) Buoyancy is aided by trapping air within the swimsuit which enables a swimmer to be higher in the water and therefore focus their effort on horizontal propulsion.

Advances in sports equipments are similar to advances in training techniques and advances in the diets of athletes. However technical improvements should not be “technological doping” and sport events should not go back to 17th century.