High-Tech Swimming: Is It Cheating?
If clothes make the man, as Mark Twain said, can they also make the man a cheater?
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, high-tech swimwear—those super-propellant, shoulder-to-ankle bodysuits favored by competitive swimmers—has been responsible in part for setting almost 200 new world records in the last two years.
Less porous and much more buoyant than old-fashioned spandex, the polyurethane and neoprene speed suits may have turned many swimmers into winners they wouldn’t otherwise be. But reducing drag has produced a rub. “You don’t set records anymore unless you’re wearing a floating suit,” complained a competitor who shuns the high-tech assist. “It’s obviously cheating.”
The International Swimming Federation—the sport’s ruling body—agreed to ban the bodysuits starting in January 2010. But for the 50,000 competing members of the U.S. Masters Swimming organization, the suits are still in use and making waves. One Masters official likened the use of speed suits to the home run advantage of a baseball player on steroids.
The sports community is divided. “Swimming at its heart is a non-tech sport. It is your body and the water,” said one opponent of high-tech. “I’m not sure how these suits are any different than strapping a motorized propeller to yourself…” Countered another, “Tennis players and golfers use the latest technology in equipment. Why not swimmers?” And there was this rationale: “If all the swimmers are clad in these hi-tech suits, it is not cheating.”
But an Olympic medal-winning swimmer from Australia welcomed the international ban on speed suits, along with a seeming return to personal responsibility in the sport, saying “…we should be back to the normal way of swimming and knowing where you stand…and how fast you can swim on any given day.”
Tell us what you think: Are high-tech speed suits unfair? If a swimmer wears one, is he/she cheating?
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KALEB CALDWELL | 1 month ago
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Defeating the purpose?
Hi tech suits, if enhancing the speed and agility of a competor will only work if everyone is wearing them. swimming is a sport based on timing as opposed to tennis and basketball, so here wearing a suit that enhances your speed is definitely, either cheating or pointless, because if everyone wears normal suits, the winner will be the same, as far as making records goes, its definately cheating.
Mimmi | 1 month ago
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Agreed!
I could not agree more that it is cheating if your are using a suit to help beat records. It should as the article said be just yourself and the water and no high tech suits. It would be understandalbe if everyone in the race was wearing one of these suits because it would be fair to all competitors.
Rusty shackelfurd | 3 weeks, 2 days ago
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Just let them be as fast as they can be!!!
i believe that hi-tech swim wear is not concidered cheating. these suits are made so the swimmers can go their fastest times when they need to the most. the person in the suit is swimming not the suit itself. if the suits are actually helping swimmers produce the best time that their body’s are capable, the suit only has little affect on the outcome.
Cassandra Ley | 1 month ago
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i love pets
can i have money
ISABELLA | 1 month ago
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swim suits, cheating?
i agree, i think that the suits arnt considered cheating, they just help the swimmer to go the fastest that they are capable of going. you have the choice to wear them and if you dont its ur own fault. even if they dont wear them, they wont be as fast but they still will place close to the same way. its the swimmer swimming not the suit.
alexbarger | 3 weeks, 4 days ago
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Shouldn't the sport progress?
Wouldn’t we expect the sport of competitive swimming to evolve with technology just like every other sport? Skiers get better bindings, better shaped skis that allow better turns, etc. As better equipment is created, the sport gets faster and competition is elevated to a new level. Soon everyone is using the new technology and the search for more advancement continues. It’s still the person competing, but I think the sport is improved. It wouldn’t be the same if all skiers were still using the skis/bindings used in 1950.
The same is true for swimming. First it’s a swim cap and goggles to give an advantage, then removing body hair to cut the least drag. These new suits are just another step allowing the athlete to reach new levels in a sport. If these suits were unavailable to other swimmers, then it might be a different story, however, they are available to anyone who wants to purchase one. When everyone recognizes the benefits and begins to use the new technology, there is no advantage and the search for better technology continues.
Kurt | 3 weeks, 2 days ago
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“If all the swimmers are clad in these hi-tech suits, it is not cheating.”
So, if everyone cheats, noone cheats >_<
The same thing should be introduced to ski-jumping.
The Who | 3 weeks ago
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i love my fastskin!
people only complain when they cant afford them and lose. its an excuse for losing. i also agree the swimmer wins a race, not a suit.
Katie Longenette | 1 week, 2 days ago
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