|
Position
Statement: Technology Swim Suits
January,
23, 2009
As a result of the wide array of swimsuit options and technologies
on the market, and the possible confusion associated with the purchase of these
swimsuits, Swimming Canada and the CSCTA offers the following guidelines on suitable
selection of swimsuits at the different levels of development. Swimming Canada
and the CSCTA strongly supports the tenets advocated in the Long Term Athlete
Development Strategy (www.swimming.ca/ltad) which highlights the priorities at
each stage of development. We recognize that education on the issue of swimsuit
selection is critical and that our stakeholders (athletes,coaches, officials,
parents and administrators) share this responsibility. INTRODUCTION: Non-competitive
and entry-competitive levels
LTAD: Fundamentals and Learning to Train stages
of development •
The simplest competitive suit made by SPEEDO or another manufacturer is all that
is required.
* Good fit is important - Snug, simple, basic.
•
Encourage parents not to purchase suits that athletes will “grow into”...by
the time they do so, the suit will be exhausted and in need of replacement.
•
Standards for suits should be set by “minimal coverage”:
* For boys: the suits should be limited from the knee to the navel, or less. Many
young boys, especially those new to the sport, may balk at using a brief. They
may want the jammers to the knee.
* For females: Shoulder straps to hips.
Suits that extend over the shoulders and below the hips should be discouraged
AGE
GROUP DEVELOPMENT:
Early-mid
competitive levels
LTAD: Training to Train and the initial stages of Training
to Compete stages of development •
Athletes should be encouraged to train and compete in “normal suits”
with a good fit, with the same coverage rules as in the INTRODUCTION groups listed
above. •
The longer into their careers that an athlete is encouraged to train and compete
in the relatively inexpensive “normal” suits, the better. •
High Performance Technology suits should not be considered until the athletes
have achieved a Senior National qualification standard or higher ELITE: Later
competitive levels
LTAD: The later stages of Training to Compete Training to
Win stages of development
* Swimsuit selection is at the discretion of the individual athletes and their
coaches
* Competitors be limited to a single swimsuit or garment approved
by FINA
This
position statement wil be revisited following the outomce of the FINA scheduled
meeting in Lausanne on February 20, 2009 tasked with reviewing the complexities
involved with swimsuit approval procedures (including material, thickness, use,
shape and availability). The conclusions from this meeting will be considered
by the FINA Bureau at its upcoming meeting scheduled March 12-14, 2009 in Dubai
(UAE).
| 
