Device Testing is Next Big Controversy in Competitive Swimming

PHOENIX, Arizona, February 19. WITH the major swimsuit players and manufacturers assembling in Lausanne, Switzerland today and tomorrow to discuss standards for swimsuit technology, a new controversy is looming over the waters.

In the March issue of Swimming World Magazine, publisher Brent Rutemiller reveals what some athletes are doing under their suits to enhance their performances. Here is an excerpt of what Rutemiller reports:

Early reports indicate a growing trend in which swimmers are using duct tape as a device on their skin to bind muscle groups together. They are trying to get the same effect as a $500 high-performance suit that promotes core body stability. Since swimmers will be limited to only one racing suit during a competition, they are already coming up with their own devices to keep that competitive edge.

Some female athletes are using tape as a first-level form of compression to streamline their chests before getting into a racing suit. Both males and females are experimenting by tightly wrapping tape around their core body.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, the benefits of athletic taping made volleyball headlines when a new type of tape, Kinesio Tape, showed up on the shoulders, arms, legs and backs of many high-profile athletes.

In Lance Armstrong's book, "Every Second Counts," he praised the athletic tape that came from Japan as having "magical powers."

Athletes are learning that the tape can be applied in a specific pattern—either stretched or not stretched—depending on the needed outcome. Many claim that the tape method helps relieve pain by lifting the skin to allow the blood to flow more freely to the muscles.

The fact that athletes are now applying those lessons in innovative ways indicates device testing may be the next fight within the governing communities.

Subscribers to Swimming World Magazine can read the entire article in the March issue. Premium members can download the entire issue and read online.

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