New Olympic swimsuits make waves

Critics of the new high-tech Olympic swimsuits argue that they give wearers an unfair competitive edge    VIDEO CNN Science Correspondent Ann Kellan looks at the controversy Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     RELATED STORY Swimwear 2001: Sea and be seen     MESSAGE BOARD What's your opinion on the controversy?

From Ann Kellan
CNN Science Correspondent

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- In the world of competitive swimming, those skimpy Speedos are giving way to a dramatic new look.

But critics claim the new higher-tech alternatives -- whether they go ankle to neck, neck to knee or cover the body -- give those who wear them an unfair competitive edge.

Tom Malchow was wearing one of the suits when he broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly.

"You feel smoother in the water," he said. "You're riding a little bit higher in the water, so I don't know if that's mental, where you think the suit works so it does."

Formal protests lodged earlier this year maintain that wearing the suit makes a swimmer more buoyant, which would violate rules set by FINA, the international swimming federation. Those protests were shot down.

"The suit does not improve buoyancy," said Speedo Vice President Stu Isaac. "The suit, if you put it at the bottom of the pool, would stay there."

Some of the new suits cost $200 or more

Speedo's Fast Skin suit has created the biggest hubbub. Makers say tiny ridges in the polyester-Spandex fabric cut down on water resistance, although no formal tests have proven that.

Some swimmers don't like the price of the suits, which can cost $200 or more.

"It's not in my budget. I don't know how many people can afford it," freestyle swimmer Kimberly Schneider said.

Swimmer Jarod Schroeder is similarly unenthusiastic.

"I would rather everybody have the same swimsuit and see who the best swimmer is, and not who has the best technology," he said.

Five-time gold medalist Jenny Thompson, on the other hand, doesn't mind seeing her records shattered by competitors wearing the suit.

"I just feel like this suit is part of the evolution of technology in swimming," she said, "and it's inevitable.

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