The International Swimming Federation (FINA) insisted there is no evidence Speedo's LZR Racer suit gives swimmers an unfair advantage. Said the governing body said in an official statement, “FINA is always willing to examine issues in connection with the swimsuit approval. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no objective scientific evidence on the alleged buoyancy advantage provided by the Speedo LZR Racer.”
The group added, “We underline that at FINA competitions, the rule GR 5.6 – 'the manufacturers must ensure that the approved new swimsuit will be available for all competitors' – will apply.”
Since the bodysuit was launched in February, 18 of the 19 world records broken have gone to athletes wearing the state-of-the-art suit. Both the Italian and Canadian swimming federations banned their athletes from wearing the suit during their separate recent Olympic trials.
FINA will still meet with manufacturers on April 12 at this weekend's Short-Course World Swimming Championships in Manchester, England, to discuss the issue. The meeting has been called by FINA to “review and update,
