Swimming: FINA bodysuit ban begins Jan. 1
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ROME -- Bob Bowman did something that occurs about as often as Michael Phelps losing a big race.
The coach of Michael Phelps got the aging autocrats over at FINA, the governing body of international swimming, to move with amazing speed. Less than three days after Bowman threatened to keep Phelps out of international meets until the swimsuit mess was resolved, well, FINA offered a solution.
It announced today at the World Championships that the ban on the controversial high-tech swimsuits will start Jan. 1, rather than spilling over until April or May, a possibility that threatened to disrupt 2010.
FINA has also put together a scientific committee to approve the suits. The names were not released but USA Swimming’s executive director Chuck Wielgus said that he has been assured by FINA that there will be at least U.S. scientist on the panel.
Additionally, manufacturers will be obliged to secure approval for the suits one year before the Olympics or World Championships and the apparel must be available in the marketplace six months prior.
USA Swimming welcomed the turn of events and said it will have the ban in place at the Duel in the Pool in Manchester, England, Dec. 19-20, and most likely even earlier, possibly in time for the short course nationals.
The implications for Phelps? Well, it looks as though he’ll have a busy fall. With FINA putting a ban in place, Phelps could now follow through on plans to swim World Cup meets in Berlin and Stockholm.
Suit-gate has some inadvertent benefits in terms of international publicity.
‘It’s certainly kept the sport in the news,’ Wielgus said, with a wry smile. ‘You can’t argue that a lot of people that don’t follow swimming are following swimming.’
For more details later, and more world records (yes, there was another one, the 30th of the event) look for a report at latimes.com.
-- Lisa Dillman