The general swim wear rules from FINA (General Rule 5) state that swim suits, caps, and goggles:
- Must be of good moral taste
- Must not have any offensive markings or symbols
- Must not be transparent
- Must be approved by FINA
- Must be available to all competitors
- May be one or two piece
- May not extend past the ankle, wrist, or neck
- May not have additional parts like arm bands or leg bands (two pieces does not include these pieces!)
- May be excluded from a competition by the referee of that competition if the suit or body markings do not comply with the rules (this part of the rule includes body marking, like tattoos, too)
The approval process for swimsuits, caps, and goggles (Annex 11, FINA Requirements for Swimwear Approval) defines the steps a swimwear supplier must take to get their swim gear approved for use by FINA. These steps must be repeated every 4-years. These regulations also list more specifics on swimwear rules, including:
Swim Suits
- Male swimwear must be one piece, women's swimwear may be two pieces comprised of one piece for the upper body and one for the lower body
- Swimwear material must not endanger the health of the swimmer (huh?)
- Swimwear material must be "regular" with no outstanding structure or shape, like scales, and nothing can be added to the fabric to form a structure. No scales, dots, etc. (looks like a lot of swimwear used at the last Olympics may not meet this rule - scales, trip wires, silicone dots, etc.)
- Swimwear may have paint or impregnated markings, but these may not exceed "usual" thicknesses
- Seams must be functional and must not form shapes beyond joining fabric together
- Laces can be used on swimwear, but only to hold the suit around the waist
Swim Caps
- Caps may not be attached to goggles or suits - no hoods
- Caps must conform to the natural head shape (no more helmets!)
- Caps must not have any surface shapes (again, a lot of the caps used at previous competitions are now going to be against the rules)
- Caps may have seams and use different thicknesses of material, but these items must not form outside shapes
How does a manufacturer find out if their swimsuits, caps, or goggles meet these rules? They submit samples of their swimwear to FINA along with some forms and some fees. There is a method to have swim gear that has been previously approved re-approved without submitting samples, but the gear must meet the current rules - so I believe that all swimwear are going to need to be approved for at least this go-around.
What it costs to get swimwear into the approval/re-approval request process:
- Swimsuit Approval - 1,500 EUR or about 2,000 USD
- Caps or Goggles Approval- 750 EUR or about 1,000 USD
- Swimsuit Reconfirmation - 2,000 EUR or about 2,600 USD
- Caps or Goggles Reconfirmation - 1,000 EUR or about 1,300 USD
So what does all of this mean? It means that swimwear may not be as advanced as it once was, that swimwear innovation may be hindered, that swimwear might not be as much of an issue in the future. But, if I know anything about sports, athletes, coaches, and suppliers, I know that they will always look for ways to maximize, to push, to find the edges of the rules to give the performer and advantage over their competition. They will do all they can to get the best out of the athlete (hopefully not going beyond those rules), including finding ways to make swimwear the best it can be within the limits of these FINA rules.
Swim On!
