High-technology swimwear, or tech suits, are scientifically advanced materials used for swimwear in competitive water sports such as swimming and triathlon. Materials of this type are normally spandex and nylon composite fabrics with features to reduce drag against the water. The fabrics include features that increase the swimmer's glide through water and reduce the absorption of water by the suit as opposed to regular swimsuits. Additionally, the suits are extremely tight, which make the swimmers body more streamlined and help reduce the buildup of lactic acid in the body. Since 2010, high-tech swimsuits, specifically those offering significant performance-enhancing features and made from non-textile materials, have been banned in competitive swimming. This decision was made by FINA after the 2008 and 2009 swimming seasons, during which many world records were broken by swimmers wearing high-tech swimsuits, raising concerns about the impact of technology on the sport.
Purpose and design
High-technology swimwear is designed to reduce drag and improve swimming performance. Speedo claims that their LZR Racer reduced drag or water resistance by 38% compared to a traditional Lycra practice swim suit. The banned suits used in 2008 and 2009 were polyurethane based. Guidelines as of 2015 have specific measures to regulate the thickness, buoyancy, and permeability of the fabric. The high-technology suits used in competition are no longer able to have zippers or other types of fastening. Girls must typically wear a one-piece swimsuit that does not extend below the crotch. These regulations were enacted for multiple reasons, though the main reasons were to lower the cost of participation for young swimmers, and to make sure swimmers were focused on swimming, instead of buying suits.
Manufacturers
High-tech fabric lines by swimwear manufacturers:
- A3 Performance – Stealth, Legend, and VICI
- Speedo – Aquablade, Fastskin, Fastskin 3, LZR Racer, LZR Elite, and LZR X
- Nike – LiftSuit and NG-1
- Arena – Powerskin ST, Powerskin XP and Powerskin R-EVO, Arena X-Glide, Carbon Ultra, and Powerskin Primo.
- Adidas – JetConcept, Hydrofoil, and Adizero
- TYR – Venzo, Avictor, Fusion, Aquapel, Aquashift, Tracer, AP12, and Avictor
- Zone Swimwear
- Dolfin – Titanium, LightStrike
- blueseventy – NeroTX and neroFIT
- MP Michael Phelps - Xpresso
- Mizuno – GX Sonic
- Finis - Vapor, Rival
Controversy
Advantages
Whether high-tech fabric lines such as these give substantial advantages to swimmers is debated. High-technology suits can increase one's swimming speed by around 4 percent. A 2012 study, by Joel Stager of Indiana University's Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming, reportedly found an increase of only 0.34%. Most of the manufacturers counter with their own studies though touting the advantages of their own individual lines overall and against their competitors. Different manufacturers also offer specific advantages to particular types of swimmers—for example, the LZR X is popular among freestyle sprinters for its compression, while many distance swimmers find the compression detrimental to leg muscles over the course of a longer race. Meanwhile, Arena suits are often preferred by breaststrokers for a looser fit, enabling better range of motion while performing a breaststroke kick.
Cost
The materials are sometimes very expensive (USD$300–$600 or GBP£300-£500 for a full suit), limiting their use to highly competitive and professional levels of the sport. Additionally, women's suits are typically much more expensive than men's suits: the TYR Venzo costs $400 for men, but $650 for women; the arena Carbon Core costs $415 for men, but $575 for women, and the Speedo LZR Pure Intent costs $400 for men but $600 for women. However, in recent years with the advance of technology the most basic 'high-technology swimwear' can be purchased for approximately $100 or £100.
Records
Prior to the start of the ban of the high-tech swimsuits at the start of 2010, estimated that over 130 world records had already been broken using the high-tech fabrics. Nearly every medal winner at the 2008 Summer Olympics made use of the high-tech swimwear. This is often seen as the catalyst behind the "technological arms race" in professional swimming competitions including the 2009 World Championships. World Champion American swimmer Aaron Peirsol, who swam two world record times at the 2009 World Championships, said, "A lot of us are joking that this might be the fastest we ever go, we might as well enjoy this (2009) year." Many thought the introduced regulations on high-technology swimwear would end the era of record-breaking performances in swimming, and existing world records currently beaten with the high-tech swimwear be annotated with an asterisk. Nearly two and a half years after FINA regulations were in place nine records were broken at the 2012 Olympics.