IMPORTANT NOTICE  re SWIMWEAR

This is an extract from the Swimming Officials Newsletter (Feb 2010) issued by British Swimming

Rules governing swimwear are contained within FINA General Rule 5 and By Law BL 8

GR5 SWIMWEAR

GR5.1  The swimwear (swimsuit, cap and goggles) of all competitors shall be in good moral taste and suitable for the individual sports discipline and not carry any symbol which may be considered offensive.

GR5.2  All swimsuits shall be non transparent.

GR5.3  The referee of a competition has the authority to exclude any competitor whose swimsuit or body symbols do not comply with this Rule.

GR5.4  Before any swimwear of new design, construction or material is used in competition, the  manufacturer of such swimwear must submit the swimwear to FINA and obtain approval of FINA.

BL 8 SWIMWEAR

BL 8.1  All FINA approved swimwear to be used at the Olympic Games and FINA World Championships must be approved by FINA at least twelve (12) months prior to the start of the respective competition. In addition, it must be available for all competitors by 1st January of the year of the Olympic Games or FINA World Championships.

BL 8.2  In swimming competitions the competitor must wear only one swimsuit in one or two pieces. No additional items, like arm bands or leg bands shall be regarded as parts of a swimsuit.

BL 8.3 From January 1st  2010 swimwear for men shall not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below knee. All swimsuits shall be made from textile materials.

It should be noted that BL 8.1 relates only to those specified Championships listed in the By-Law.

British Swimming has also published the following announcement.

In addition to complying with FINA General Rule 5, the swimwear in these competitions must comply with By-Laws 8.2 and 8.3 concerning the style and material used. This does not prevent the use of a zip (or other fastening) as this is not mentioned in these provisions. British Records may be achieved.

However, if a World or European Record is to be claimed then the swimwear must meet the requirements of the issuing authority. This is separate from the General Rules and By-Laws and is subject to change at any time. A list of approved swimsuits can be found on the FINA website.

Following the FINA Bureau meeting in January  2010 new rules for Masters and Open Water  have been published in a press release.

14. SWIMWEAR

OPEN WATER:  from June 1, 2010 Open Water Swimwear, for both Men and Women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below the ankle. All Open Water swimsuits shall comply with the FINA Criteria for Materials and Approval Procedures. Until June 2010, the 2009 models can be used in order to protect the athlete from sunburn, jellyfish etc.

MASTERS:  the same swimwear regulations as per pool swimming will be applied from January 15, 2010.

RJ/WCSA Officials Committee/Feb 2010