Following clarification from Mare Nostrum Tour organisers and USA Swimming, Australia has issued clarification to swimmers and coaches Down Under: FINA’s approved suit list will be enforced at all Swimming Australia events, including upcoming grand prix races and the national short-course championships. The Swimming Australia statement also notes that suit checks will take place at meets and that “training” suits not on the approved list, as specified below, are acceptable.
The statement:
FINA Ruling on Swimwear
Following FINA’s announcement on swimwear approval on May 19 2009, only FINA approved swimwear will be allowed to be worn at Swimming Australia events. This means swimmers can only wear the 202 swimsuits currently approved by FINA. Swimmers are not able to wear one of the 136 that need modifications, or the 10 that have been banned.
The complete list of approved swimsuits can be found on the FINA official website at www.fina.org. We strongly encourage all swimmers to check this list before competing.
At the upcoming Telstra Grand Prix and Telstra Short Course Championships all swimwear will be checked during marshalling and swimmers will be asked to record the make and manufacturer of their swimsuit.
Please note that training swimsuits are exempt from the ruling. Training swimsuits are defined as the following:
- Men’s training swimwear is defined as “briefs” that cover the body surface from hips to groin and do not extend above the waist or onto the thighs
- Women’s training swimwear is defined as “open back” and “open shoulder” designs that extend down to the groin and do not extend to the thighs.
Details of who to contact for further clarification can be found on the Swimming Australia website.
