Top Swimmers Welcome FINA Swimsuit News

blueseventy issued the following statement regarding the news that technical swimsuits will be allowed in FINA open water competitions:

Swimmers, including English Channel world record holder Petar Stoychev, have welcomed news that body suits will be allowed in open water events next year. Stoychev holds a key position on the FINA athletes commission and is calling on the world governing body to secure the safety of athletes and development of the sport by ensuring that technical body suits remain in the sport for the future.

Body suits, such as the blueseventy Nero 10k, have been outlawed for pool swimming, but FINA has confirmed that the same rules will not apply to open water swimming.

The FINA press office said, "The new rules relating to swimwear do not apply to open water. They apply to swimming." However, the types of fabrics to be permitted are yet to be determined.

Stoychev [shown on left in Beijing] commented, "At every technical meeting prior to a race FINA officials aways say that the health of the swimmers is the most important thing. Full body suits protect the skin from sunburn and dangerous jellyfish. I was hospitalized after a sting in China in 2002 and it is much safer when the skin is covered by a suit."

"There are no world records in open water. We don’t race against time, just against each other, so there are not the same considerations as in the pool. I agree that Channel swimming is different, it’s right that technical suits are not allowed, but we need them on other races for the future of the sport."

Introduced to the Olympics for the first time in Beijing, open water swimming has seen a massive boom in popularity since. However, for the sport to progress the use of bodysuits and wetsuits is paramount.

Stoychev also feels strongly that commercial involvement in the sport is vital. He said, "Our sport was in the Olympics for the first time in Beijing and I feel it’s important that we have more opportunities for commercial involvement in order to progress. It is nice to have companies like blueseventy produce suits specifically for open water."

The Nero 10k suit is a specific open water suit, and was worn by Olympic champion Maarten van der Weijden in Beijing last year and by medal winners in World Championships in Rome.

Van der Weijden [shown above in Beijing] commented, "The swimwear debate is particularly poignant at age group level, where the sport needs to attract novices. And at elite level, races vary in terms of temperature as well as actual water conditions, I’m pleased this is being taken into account rather than just apply the same rules that apply for the pool."

With events such as this weekend’s Great North Swim in the UK attracting thousands of competitors, swimming has a fantastic opportunity to increase participation and interest in the sport. Access to technical swimwear, and wetsuits for beginners, can only help ensure that more people feel confident to dive in to open water.

Steve Nicholls from blueseventy commented, "We are pleased that body suits will remain in the sport of open water swimming. It’s the right move to bring even greater numbers to open water swimming and increase overall participation in swimming."

blueseventy's Response to FINA's Decision

When FINA released its list of approved suits for the World Championships in July, it did not approve 10 high-tech racing suits including blueseventy's 11 models in accordance with FINA's Dubai Charter.

None of blueseventy's suits, including tights and jammers, were listed on FINA’s site as approved models, including models that were previously and legally used in FINA competitions.

Admittedly, blueseventy is stunned by this omission. blueseventy's Global Marketing Manager, Dean Jackson said, "We were very comfortable with the criteria for testing that FINA had outlined, our suits passed well under the threshold for buoyancy and thickness proposed by them. We have had confirmation that our suits passed the independent laboratory testing for both of these tests."

Officially, blueseventy's products were classified as suits that "may cause significant air trapping when worn by the swimmers." In response, blueseventy has 30 days to make modifications to its suits so that they no longer trap air.

"We are dedicated to working on the best solution to the short-term situation and will work closely with FINA on this process," said Roque Santos, blueseventy's Vice President of Swimming. Steve Nichols, CEO of blueseventy, gave an interview to Floswimming to explain further. Click here to listen to the interview.

Changes and Champions at blueseventy

Steve Nicholls is the new CEO of blueseventy, one of the world’s leading wetsuit and open water swim suit companies.

Nicholls was previously blueseventy's Head of Product Development and Operations. He will work with Dean Jackson who was appointed Global Sales and Marketing Manager.

Jackson said, "From developing a new category product a few months ago for the Fina 10km swimmers, to having World Record holders contacting us to use the suit for their Olympic trials, to clinching an Olympic gold medal, is a rapid rise in a usually conservative market."

Maarten van der Weijden won his Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medal in a blueseventy nero swimskin (see photo of Maarten by Pei Qingsheng).

blueseventy gets its name from 70% of the world being covered in water and have become a leading brand in open water swimming swimskins and wetsuits - an issue that was hotly discussed at the US Masters Swimming convention and among traditional open water swimmers.

Photo of Maarten van der Weijden by Pei Qingsheng.