BATHING SUIT CONTROVERSY
After the 2009 World Aquatic Championships in Rome, Italy, there has been much controversy concerning the Speedo LZR bathing suit, and the Jaked bathing suit. The LZR was made of part polyurethane, and was developed with the help of NASA. This was the suit most commonly worn at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Jaked's suit was the newest development at the World Championships, where world records were broken in almost every event.
Michael Phelps, the world's greatest swimmer of all time stuck to his sponsor, Speedo, and was one of the few athletes to wear the only part-polyurethane suit, as opposed to Jaked's full polyurethane development. This in itself was a controversy, but he managed to win almost every race, including the 100m butterfly against Serbia's Milorad Cavic, who he had beat by one one-hundredth of a second at the Olympic Games a year earlier.
Polyurethane being incorporated into bathing suits has since been banned, and the style of swimmer's bathing suits has changed. Men are only permitted to wear Jammers, which go to their knees and do not cover their torso. Women must wear an open backed suit that does not pass their knees, and all suits must be made of a synthetic material. The newest Speedo development is called the LZR Elite, and is similar to the LZR's style, without the polyurethane patches.
There has been much controversy as to how much technology should be allowed to go into the making of bathing suits for swimmers. Many people believe that because they were so advanced at the Olympic Games and at World Aquatic Championships, the world records established during those years will stand for a long time. Many people, such as Michael Phelps, are excited to have swimming back to simply a sport, and believe that this regression in technology will benefit the sport in the end. Below are attachments to a few articles concerning this controversy. Click on the pictures below to view articles.
Michael Phelps, the world's greatest swimmer of all time stuck to his sponsor, Speedo, and was one of the few athletes to wear the only part-polyurethane suit, as opposed to Jaked's full polyurethane development. This in itself was a controversy, but he managed to win almost every race, including the 100m butterfly against Serbia's Milorad Cavic, who he had beat by one one-hundredth of a second at the Olympic Games a year earlier.
Polyurethane being incorporated into bathing suits has since been banned, and the style of swimmer's bathing suits has changed. Men are only permitted to wear Jammers, which go to their knees and do not cover their torso. Women must wear an open backed suit that does not pass their knees, and all suits must be made of a synthetic material. The newest Speedo development is called the LZR Elite, and is similar to the LZR's style, without the polyurethane patches.
There has been much controversy as to how much technology should be allowed to go into the making of bathing suits for swimmers. Many people believe that because they were so advanced at the Olympic Games and at World Aquatic Championships, the world records established during those years will stand for a long time. Many people, such as Michael Phelps, are excited to have swimming back to simply a sport, and believe that this regression in technology will benefit the sport in the end. Below are attachments to a few articles concerning this controversy. Click on the pictures below to view articles.
