Speedo Racing Swimsuit

swimsuits. Olympic swimmers know that fit matters most when it comes to finding the right swimsuit for a major competition. Finding the right fit means designating certain suits for different purposes.

1. Find the right fit for practice means looser fits. Relaxed and slightly loose swimwear is comfortable for practice. Speedo has special elastic in their swimsuits to prevent constriction, even with a more fitted swimsuit. The leg openings on a practice swimsuit should be slightly roomy, but still sit flush to the skin. Not every swimmer wants them as tight as the leg openings on competitive swimwear. For the 2012 Olympics and any major competitive swim meet, you’ll notice tight leg openings and nylon fabrics for swimwear.

2. Olympic swimmers are picky about their fabrics for swimsuits. You’ll notice many aerodynamic suits at the 2012 Olympics and for good reason. These thin, fitted suits sit like a second skin on a swimmer’s body, making it easy to swim fast and move freely under water. Olympic swimmers know that a suit’s fit and fabric can help or hinder their performance. One popular trend is for Olympic swimmers to wear full body suits. These are often more expensive than other swimsuits, but are well worth the money since they are ideal for competitive swimming. Innovative fabrics and techniques are implemented for these full body suits. Full body suits should be very snug, but never too tight or cut off circulation. These full body suits may not affect your performance while practicing, but the aerodynamic fabric will potentially help shave seconds off competitive meets.

3. Be careful with swimsuit straps. The vast majority of swimsuits do not have straps. Swimsuit straps slow down competitive swimmers, so straps are usually an extension of the torso portion of the suit. Competitive swimmers don’t need tie-style straps holding them down. Make sure armholes are wide enough to be comfortable, but never with excess or puckering fabric in any area.

4. Be sure there’s adequate coverage in the back. Like with armholes, there shouldn’t be any tugging or puckering in the bottom area for women or men. If the style doesn’t seem to work with your shape, try a different style versus changing sizes in the exact same suit. You’ll notice that Olympic swimmers wear different styles of swimsuits and this is because they choose what works for their bodies while staying within the competition’s swimwear guidelines.

Check out a Speedo racing swimsuit the next time you’re looking for a new suit. You’ll notice Speedo is a brand favored by Olympic athletes and competitive swimmers around the globe.

Well hopefully the following updated list of FINA approved swimsuits will help answer your questions. All of the racing swimsuits on this list are approved for high school swimming, USA Swimming, YMCA swim meets, and college meets. But as last year showed us you might want to check with the governing body or with the swim meet refs to see if they have any further restrictions on swimsuits.

USA Swimming statement released 10/5/2009:

The USA Swimming House of Delegates, consisting of 438 coach, official and athlete members, voted to implement new swimsuit requirements, beginning on October 1. While this earlier implementation date has created some challenges, it was put in place to both avoid interrupting our short course season and protect the integrity of our competitions in the summer of 2010. 

The new swimsuit requirements are very specific and technical in nature, but deal primarily with silhouette and material of the suits.

FINA will be the ultimate judge of which materials will be acceptable. However, in an effort to provide clearer guidance to its membership, USA Swimming asked the major suit manufacturers, in good faith, to indicate which of their suits meet the specified criteria. The list of those suits is below.

Please note, none of these suits should be considered “FINA approved” until FINA issues its list of 2010 suits.Once FINA publishes its list, some of the suits below may no longer be acceptable.

Reference List for Allowable Swimsuits

ARENA
ARENA X-FLAT
a) Woman full body short leg open back
b) Woman Normal Suit (Classic)
c) Man Jammer
d) Man Brief

ARENA POWERSKIN
a) Woman full body short leg open
b) Woman Normal Suit (Classic)
c) Man Jammer

ARENA POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION
a) Woman full body short leg open back
b) Man Jammer

AgonSwim.com
The following styles from Agonswim.com in the fabrics Paper, Streamline, Lycra, MaxResist, PolyRidge, Speedline, Duramax, Knit Polyester, PBT and Mesh meet the requirements.

Male styles
Brief
Brief Euro
Jammer
Splice Jammer
Training suit
Training suit euro

Female styles
Freeback
Freeback Youth
Knee Length Proback
Proback
Sprintback
ThinStraps
Thin Straps Youth
ThinStraps 1X
Thin Straps 2X
U-Back
BikiniBack Top
BikiniBack Bottom

BlueSeventy
Will provide a list when it is available

Diana

The below Diana suit models have received FINA approval
Diana Submarine 201M pants-short men
Diana Submarine 213W full-knee Women 
Diana Submarine 243W full-knee women

Dolfin
All suits in the Dolfin LTF series

Finis
HydroSpeed 2 Models (nylon/lycra material):
o    Female Bladeback
o    Female Race John
o    Male Brief
o    Male Jammer

HydroSpeed Models (nylon/lycra material):
o    Female Race John
o    Male Brief
o    Male Jammer

AquaTuff Polyester Models (polyester material):
o    Female Skinback
o    Female Bladeback
o    Male Brief
o    Male Jammer

NIKE SWIM
Will provide a list of approved suits once finalized from FINA

RocketScience Sports
Part Number     Name                            
SW-000-FU-O     FU RACER – Open Back       Women’s
SW-000-FU-C     FU RACER – Closed Back     Women’s
SM-000-FU-H      FU RRACER – Hipster          Men’s
SM-000-FU-HW   FU RCARER – High W          Men’s
SWK-001-LIGHT   rocket Light K                  Women’s
SW-001-LIGHT     rocket Light                    Women’s
SM-001-LIGHT     rocket Light                     Men’s
SW-002-ORBIT     rocket ORBIT                  Women’s
SM-002-ORBIT     rocket ORBIT                   Men’s
SW-003-FLIGHT   rocket FLIGHT                 Women’s
SM-003-FLIGHT    rocket FLIGHT                 Men’s
SMB-002             rocket BREIF                   Men’s

TYR
Fusion Racer (Style#RFUS6) 2006 Male
Fusion Jammer (Style#SFUS6) 2006 Male
Fusion Aeroback (Style#AFUS6) 2006 Female
Fusion Aeroback Short John (Style#ASFU6) 2006 Female
Tracer Light Racer (Style#TLRA6) 2007 Male

Tracer Light Jammer (Style#TLJA6) 2007 Male
Tracer Light Aeroback (Style#TLAB6) 2007 Female
Tracer Light Aeroback Short John (Style#TLSJ6) 2007 Female

Speedo
Speedo believes the following championship suits meet the criteria listed by USA Swimming.

Speedo Fastskin FS Pro
Female Recordbreaker, Style #7190803
Female Kneeskin, Style #7190102
Male Jammer, Style #7050170

Speedo Fastskin FSII
Female Recordbreaker, Adult Style #7190142, Youth Style #7190141
Male Jammer, Adult Style #7050154, Youth Style #7050153
Male Brief, Adult Style #7055001

Speedo Aquablade
Female Recordbreaker, Adult Style #719040, Youth Style #719039
Male Jammer, Adult Style #705966, Youth Style #705965
Male Brief, Adult #705032, Youth Style #705031

Please note, this list is not all-inclusive. Until such time as FINA publishes its list, swimsuits meeting the below criteria, should also be considered acceptable.

1.Swimsuits for men may not extend above the navel or below the knee and for women may not cover the neck or extend past the shoulders or below the knee;

2.No zippers or other fastening devices are allowed except for a waist tie on a brief or jammer; and

3.Suits must be of textile material and must not be made of any rubberized type of material such as polyurethane or neoprene.

Following the ruling by FINA on May 19, 2009, regarding approval of swimsuits for international competition, USA Swimming’s Rules and Regulations Committee has announced an amendment to rule 102.9, covering swimsuits at USA Swimming competitions.  The committee has also outlined specific rules applying to swimsuits allowed at the 2009 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships and World Championship Trials. These amendments are designed to provide consistency with the rules as established by FINA.

Effective June 1, 2009, swimmers competing in USA Swimming-sanctioned or approved competitions will be governed by the following rules.

Only swimwear approved by FINA, as reflected on its published list of approved swimwear, may be worn in any USA Swimming sanctioned or approved competition.

Additionally, since the FINA-approved list only addresses “new model” swimsuits submitted by swimsuit manufacturers, swimmers will, until otherwise directed by FINA, also be able to wear traditional swimsuits provided the suits meet the following criteria:

1. For female swimmers, the swimsuit shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulders or past the pelvis, and

2. For male swimmers, the swimsuit shall not extend above the navel or below the knees.

There are currently 202 suits on the FINA-approved list. If and when FINA approves additional suits, those suits will also be allowed in USA Swimming competition.

At the 2009 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships and World Championship Trials, the following rules apply, in addition to the above.

Only those permitted swimsuit models that are available to all competitors may be used. To avoid confusion, availability is defined as follows:

1. The swimsuit manufacturer is present at the event with its approved swimsuits available for all competitors on a purchase, loan, give-away or other basis, or
2. The swimsuit manufacturer has provided to USA Swimming a written representation in the form requested by USA Swimming, that its approved swimsuit will be made available before July 7, 2009 to all World Championship Trials competitors and before June 14, 2009 to all Open Water World Championship Trials competitors on a purchase, loan, or giveaway basis through retail stores, the internet, or other means.

USA Swimming will publish a list of swimsuit manufacturers who have made this representation once they are received. Competitors may rely on this list as approval to wear a particular swimsuit model at either event.