FINA Releases Information Regarding Speedsuit Summit Taking Place in February

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, December 22. IN a press release distributed today, FINA released some information regarding the Speedsuit Summit the organization has planned for February.

Here is the complete release:

As previously announced, FINA is in the process of reviewing the procedures for swimwear approval, namely in the areas of the swimsuits' material, thickness, use, shape and availability. For that, FINA has scheduled a meeting in Lausanne on February 20, 2009 inviting the swimwear manufacturers and the representatives of the FINA Technical Swimming Committee as well as FINA Athletes, Coaches and Legal Commissions.

On this occasion, an objective analysis of the issues which have recently been raised will be made and eventual solutions for the future will be studied.

To support the development and possible implementation of these solutions, FINA will rely on independent experts of high reputation.

After the outcome of the above mentioned meeting and if any scientific reports are available, FINA will then bring these conclusions to its Bureau meeting, to be held from March 12-14, 2009 in Dubai (UAE), in order to take appropriate action on this matter.

FINA underlines that the issue of swimwear approval is a complex one and needs to be considered in a careful manner. That is why FINA is looking for the collaboration of all the partners in this area, so that final decisions can be globally accepted and fully understandable by the Swimming worldwide community.

The wording is much more conciliatory, with various openings for potential change, compared to FINA's initial response earlier this year that all suits that were approved met FINA's regulations.

The way the momentum is going regarding this issue in the swimming community means that some serious change is likely to occur by March. About the only thing that can derail this momentum would be in-fighting among the various entities invited to the Speedsuit Summit.

Will FINA or the swimsuit manufacturers fight for all currently approved suits to be allowed with that being the new baseline? Will coaches, or national governing bodies refuse that compromise, hoping to get back to briefs? If the new baseline is created, will the suits still only be available to elite-level swimmers because of age-group restrictions already in place with national governing bodies?

The devil will definitely be in the details as the various entities with their own agendas come to the table in February.

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