FINA Says What? Nero tx Range APPROVED for 2010

Much celebration in the blueseventy US office today, as it is Steve’s B’day. The other reason is that at 7am this morning, we learned that FINA had finished fiddling around with our swimskins in their tower of power in Lausanne and given them the gigantic thumbs up mark.
So as of January, when the new FINA regulations come in, you’ll be able to wear legal blueseventy racewear (the neroTX range).

Welcome to neroTX the next step in competitive race swimwear from blueseventy

The same passion for design and innovation with the undeterred obsession for reducing passive drag, that turned the record breaking blueseventy nero into the top selling race suit in the world, has been the driving force behind the new neroTX.
Blueseventy’s neroTX range incorporates the very latest in modern textile fabric technology. With advanced ultrasonic welding and extensively tested patterns offering the optimal blend of fit, compression and performance, you know you’ll soon be swimming faster with blueseventy.
Attention to detail has been placed at every level, starting with the selection of our unique highly compressive, ultra low drag, water smart fabric. blueseventy's exclusive fabric is produced using a warp multifilament treated nylon, with an extremely thin yarn count. The result is a super light weight, compressive, hydrophobic material that repels water even more effectively and therefore drastically decreases that all important drag coefficient. The entire neroTX range is ultrasonically welded, further eliminating the drag that’s created from traditionally sewn suits.
With the outstanding neroTX we continue to set the standard that others follow. Quite simply the world is once again swimming faster in blueseventy.

Technical features Compression:
The highly compressive nature of our TX Diaphanous fabric gives a figure hugging fit to the neroTX range. The end result is a suit that helps to streamline the body shape in the water and therefore make the swimmer go faster. Drag:
The ultrasonically welded seams in the neroTX range significantly reduce the drag found in conventionally sewn swimwear. The extremely lightweight nature of our TX fabric further enhances the seam welding leaving an almost undeterminable seam line. The water repellent nature of the suit further increases the ability of the swimmer to slip through the water and therefore reduces passive drag.Fit
Years of extensive research and hundreds of thousands of dollars have gone into making sure every neroTX suit provides the perfect fit to facilitate optimal, individual swimming technique. From the very nature of our unique TX fabric, down to the strategic alignment/ interplay of shoulder straps and scapular movement, to the pin point accuracy of seam lines, each neroTX has been designed to be a part of you the swimmer, maximising your potential, not working against it.

Shiny Suits: Best Training Aid Ever Invented?

Craig Lord (swimnews.com)
Nov 15, 2009

This afternoon's finals sessions at the World Cup will mark the last meet at which USA coach Bob Bowman, mentor to Michael Phelps, will see shiny suits in the race pool. How did he feel? "Thrilled," beamed the mastermind behind the most successful Olympian in history.
He will not attend the duel in the pool when the USA takes on a European select in England next month so Berlin would be his last brush with the bodysuits before the January 1 ban. "With that, it will be gone," he added, sweeping his hand before him. Not gone in one significant way.
Bowman would not be adjusting his training much at all to account for the loss of the shiny suits, given that his squad trained in traditional textile suits anyway, but, he told SwimNews with a glint in his eye: "I will be changing one thing: I will be using the (shiny) suits in training ... to give them the neuro-muscular feel for racing fast early in the season."
Bill Sweetenham, the Aussie guru in Berlin as part of his role advising Spain on its national programme , was on hand to say: "The suits are the best training aid ever invented. They aid recovery, they aid flotation, help you swim higher in the water at speed and at lower speeds. You can do more repeats at race speed, and beyond race speed (without the swimmer breaking down). You can't just do 30m at race speed but 50m and more. Far better than towing ropes and stretch chords. When kids are fatigued you can get the in a suit and aid their recovery."
As a coach he never wanted to see the suits back in the race pool. Beyond their usefulness as training aids, they might also serve well as teaching tools when it came to easing swimmers back to the suits that will wear in racing from New Year's Day. He said that he would "have three suits available: one full one, one with no full legs and one with no arms ... as tools to introduce swimmers back to the sport of swimming." Some coaches in the US, Australia and Britain were already working along those lines.
There might even be a rush on shiny sales as suit makers seek to clear some stock by marketing their forbidden race goods as training aids. But the price tag might have to fall and the durability of some of the soon-to-be banned apparel improved, the bills and rips of the past two years would suggest.
Bowman is among those who see use in the products that he is delighted to see dropped from the race regime. The shiny suits had taught the sport lessons, he said. "We've had tremendous advantaged from the LZR but it got to a point where work and feeling in water didn't matter anymore. That's not what the sport should be about."
He was looking forward to the race days of the future. "It'll be so much better. We won't have the stress of the time it takes to put them on, the worry of whether you've got the right one and 'what if it rips?'." Bowman had done a quality set with his squad recently in which part of the drill was to get the suit on. "Some of them took an hour to get it on. It was terrible. It disrupts everything you do. For swimmers it''l be a case of being more conscious of how your your body feels."
Bowman was please with the way that Phelps had conducted himself on world cup tour and described as "his best performance" as the 200m medley heats this morning, in which a 1:55.92 effort left the Olympic champion in lane four for the final for the first time in the two meets this week. Phelps was working hard and was learning valuable things. Such as the importance of expectation. What's missing off the wall (in 2010 textile suit), said Bowman, is thae extra flow and glide that makes the breakout into stroke all the longer and smoother. Swimmers would find, like Phelps had, that the point at which they had come to expect the glide phase off the wall to break into a stroke fell a fair bit sooner. That required adjustment to avoid there being a dead zone in propulsion.
Phelps will compete in two more meets this year: a local event in the US and then the Duel in manchester next month. The big targets for 2010 were the US summer nationals and trials, the Pan Pacific Championships and then, a year from now, the world short-course championships in Dubai.

Industry News: Speedo Extends Partnership With Michael Phelps Through 2013 -- September 9, 2009

LOS ANGELES, California, September 9.

SPEEDO today announced the extension of its long-time partnership with swimming superstar Michael Phelps through 2013. Following his historic 8 Olympic Gold Medal haul in Beijing, Phelps' career-spanning commitment to the Speedo brand and a shared passion to help grow the sport of swimming globally now continues through the 2012 London Olympic Games and beyond. A Team Speedo star since 2001, Phelps' relationship with Speedo goes beyond a traditional endorsement contract. Phelps used the $1 million bonus he earned from Speedo for his record medal haul in Beijing to start the Michael Phelps Foundation, a charitable organization committed to growing the sport of swimming. As part of Phelps' new Speedo deal, the brand will donate $10,000 to the Michael Phelps Foundation for every World Record Phelps sets; Phelps has committed to match each donation as well. "Speedo's support both in and out of the pool has helped me grow into the swimmer I am today," said Phelps. "I am grateful for the brand's commitment to help realize our shared vision to grow the sport of swimming both in the U.S. and around the world."

"Michael has transformed the sport of swimming, with more fan interest and participation than ever before," said Joe Gromek, CEO and Chairman, Warnaco, Inc, North American licensee for the Speedo brand. "Warnaco and Speedo are committed to building on the momentum with direct support for the Michael Phelps Foundation."

David Robinson, President of Speedo International, added: "Michael continues to inspire the entire world of swimming and is a fabulous ambassador for the Speedo brand across the 175 countries that we operate within."

Phelps will also continue to serve as part of an athlete advisory group to the Speedo Aqualab, the research and development center that continually pioneers new technologies and innovations in swimwear and accessories. In 2008, it introduced the Speedo LZR Racer, which Phelps wore for every gold-medal-winning swim in Beijing and at the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome. In the coming months, Speedo will announce an updated – and comprehensive – range of elite swimwear that conforms to newly released FINA rules.

"I am proud to be part of the Speedo Aqualab team," Phelps added. "Speedo and its Aqualab team are leaders in innovation. I have worn Speedo throughout my career and look forward to racing in new technology in 2010 and at the 2012 London Olympics."

"As the world's greatest Olympian, Michael continually challenges Speedo to drive innovation throughout our product range," said Helen McCluskey, President, Warnaco Swimwear Group. "We are committed to helping swimmers achieve their personal best."

Phelps made history by winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games – the most for any athlete at a single Games. During the nine-day competition in Beijing, Phelps set seven World Records, eight American Records and eight Olympic Records to become the most decorated athlete in Olympic history with 14 gold medals. As he looks ahead to the 2012 London Olympics, Phelps continues his assault on the history books. At the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome this summer, Phelps accomplished another personal and historic goal, setting a new World Record of 49.82 in the 100m butterfly to become the first man to break the 50-second barrier.

The Baltimore native continues to train at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under long-time Speedo coach Bob Bowman. Phelps is represented by Peter Carlisle, Managing Director of Olympics & Action Sports, Octagon.

Team Speedo swimmers include Olympic Medalists Natalie Coughlin (USA), Ryan Lochte (USA), Katie Hoff (USA), Libby Trickett (AUS), Eamon Sullivan (AUS), Park Tae Hwan (KOR) and Rebecca Adlington (GBR).

SPEEDO® is a registered trademark of and used under license from Speedo International Ltd. Warnaco Swimwear, Inc., a division of The Warnaco Group, Inc. (NYSE: WRC), is the authorized licensee of the SPEEDO® trademark in North American and the Caribbean.

Techno swimsuit outrage just doesn't hold water

Aug. 4, 2009
By Gregg Doyel CBSSports.com National Columnist Tell Gregg your opinion!


The polyurethane swimsuits that have helped swimmers break more than 170 world records since 2008, including 43 last week at the World Championships in Rome, are about to go the way of the dodo bird -- had the dodo bird died off because it was too fit to survive.
This is evolution in reverse, this uprising against the polyurethane swimsuit, and someone's going to have to explain it to me -- because I don't understand. I don't understand why a swimsuit that is made by multiple companies, and is available, ostensibly, to every world-class swimmer, should be ruled illegal.


So someone help me. And by "help me," I mean read me first. Read me with an open mind, and after you've considered my argument, tell me yours. Tell me what I'm missing.
Because I don't understand this. At all.

Swimming isn't baseball, where advancements in aluminum bats have led Nike to charge $400 for a single bat, the Aero Fuse CX2, with 42 layers of carbon composite fibers that crisscross into "two independent walls engineered to allow greater compression, store more energy from the collision and release explosive power at launch." This is a bat that could kill somebody. If a college hitter smashes a ball up the middle with one of these juiced-up bats, pray it misses the pitcher's skull.
A swimsuit isn't going to kill anybody.

Swimming isn't golf, a sport whose club shafts were once made from hickory but now are made from titanium, a material so strong that Boeing uses it to hold together its biggest jets. A high-end Titleist titanium driver goes for $450, and the pros who have mastered such clubs have made all but the biggest golf courses obsolete. Courses that were good enough for Bobby Jones and Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, courses like Augusta National, have had to move tees 50 or 60 yards back to accommodate players named Bubba Watson and Tag Ridings.
A swimsuit isn't going to make a pool obsolete.

All these swimsuits do is help the swimmers go faster. Isn't that what we want? To watch swimmers go faster? If the day comes when a shoe company revolutionizes what we thought we knew about a track spike, is that shoe going to be outlawed because the runners are running too fast?
Of course not.

What I see here are socialism and the status quo, two applications that are useful in some places but have no business being in athletics.
Socialism is at work because FINA, the swimming governing body, has bowed to the sponsors who control swimming. Not contribute to swimming. Control it. Some of the equipment companies that make the biggest contributions to swimmers in particular and the sport at large, like Speedo, have had their trunks pulled down by lesser-known companies like Arena and Jaked. The irony is beautiful in that Speedo started this revolution, introducing the LZR that dominated at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, but now Speedo has been passed like its swimmers are wearing concrete flippers. And Speedo doesn't like it. Breaks my heart.

But if Speedo doesn't like it, and Nike also doesn't like it ... well then, FINA doesn't like it. Because swimmers bound to Speedo or Nike were caught in Rome using the Jaked 01 or the Arena X-Glide, trying unsuccessfully to fool people by marking out the competing brand names with magic marker.
That's bad for business for Speedo and Nike, and if it's bad for Speedo and Nike, it's bad for FINA. So this entire style of swimsuit will be illegal by 2010 -- because the scientists at Speedo and Nike can't keep up.
The status quo also is being protected. Before Arena and Jaked got good at this, Speedo swimmers dominated the pool. And by Speedo swimmers, I mean Michael Phelps. You saw what he did in Beijing. When he wasn't hitting the bong, he was hitting the wall ahead of everyone else. And that's the way FINA liked it. FINA liked knowing who was good, and who wasn't, and there was comfort in that.

But with these new suits, suddenly Michael Phelps -- and the U.S. swim team, come to think of it -- weren't as good as everyone thought. And if Phelps and the United States aren't dominant, well, FINA can't have that. The U.S. swim teams won a combined 22 medals in Rome, good for most countries but not good for the United States, which hadn't won so few medals since 1994.
U.S. Swimming national team director Mark Schubert dismissed the World Championships with a sneer, saying, "This will be remembered as the plastic meet." He took solace in the socialist ban of polyurethane and the return of the status quo: "I just think it's going to level the playing field a lot more. We're going to be able to tell who the real swimmers are."
You can almost see Schubert's lower lip quiver. The United States might not have swum as well as usual in Rome, but we pouted our asses off. Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach, threatened to withdraw his swimmer from future international events if the swimsuit controversy wasn't addressed, which is hilarious given -- again -- that Phelps' revolutionary (at the time) LZR swimsuit in Beijing helped him win eight medals and set seven world records.
Phelps also pouted: "It's going to be fun next year," he said, "when swimming is back to swimming."

Of course the American media is lapping it up. Phelps is still exceptional, but he was beaten last week in one of his signature events, the 200 freestyle, by a German swimmer in an Arena X-Glide. So if you read much about swimsuits, and what you read has been written by an American journalist, all you know is the dark side. This is an abomination!

Please. This is competition. If a swimmer's sponsor can't keep up, switch sponsors. This isn't a swim team at the YMCA asking parents to cough up $800 for one of the fast suits. This is world-class competition. These swimmers can afford it, and if they can't, tough.
It's made of polyurethane -- not an outboard motor. This swimsuit isn't illegal. Steroids are illegal. Coating your body with water-resistant goo is illegal. A swimsuit? Illegal?

Makes no sense to me.

Does it make sense to you?

BLUESEVENTY SUITS RESTORATION PROGRAM(Buy Back Program)

SwimmingPlanet is pleased to announce the " Blueseventy suits restoration program- Buy Back Program) " wherefore we got the aproval from the agent of Greece and Cyprus Nisos Trading & Consulting.

From September the swimmers that have Blueseventy suit will be able to return it and obtain the similar new suit in the same size with 50% discount.
The new suit will follow the rules that FINA will announce.
Through this restoration program we want to show our respect towards the swimmers and our will to be at their side any time of the day offering the best solutions in the market.
Details for the Buy Back program will be announced at the beginning of September.

Closing , we would like to announce that Swimming Planet will stay closed from 10/08/09 until 30/08/09 due to summer vacations.

Have a joyfull summer!

Row over swimsuits makes a splash

Source: CBBC (5 minutes ago)

Swimming world records have been making a big splash recently, but it's not the swimmers making the headlines, it's their swimsuits.
Technology used to make the suits has helped swimmers smash so many records that some are calling it cheating.
Lots of experts think the suits have too big an impact on how quickly the swimmers can move through the water.
Swimming bosses agree and they're banning some of the materials used to make the swimsuits, but not until 2010.
Do you think using hi-tech kit in sport is cheating?
The suits have become the talk of the world swimming championships in Rome, Italy.
What does polyurethane do?
It pushes away water from the athlete
It can trap air between the athlete and the suit, making it easier to float
It's super-smooth, so helps swimmers slice through the water
The key word in the row is polyurethane. It's the material the newest suits are made from it and helps swimmers go more quickly than ever before.
It works by pushing water away from the swimmer, as well as helping them to stay afloat. It also helps them cut through the water with very little resistance.
Olympian beaten
Olympic legend Michael Phelps - who won eight golds in Beijing - was beaten the for the first time in four years recently, by someone wearing the most up-to-date outfit.

Michael Phelps' suit only covers the lower half of his body
But that's not to say that Phelps' gear doesn't help him move quickly too, as it also has some polyurethane in it, although there's not as much so it doesn't make as much of a difference. And he only wears the suit on the lower half of his body.
The people who run swimming - world swimming governing body Fina - are going to bring in new rules next year to say how much of the athletes body can be covered and what their swimsuits can be made of.
They say they want to get back to a sport where fans are talking about the swimmers' talent in the water and not the suits they're wearing.

Peirsol has a new plan for 200 back

By ANDREW DAMPF (AP) – 50 minutes ago
ROME — Aaron Peirsol doesn't plan on making the same mistake twice.
Three days after the Olympic champion failed to qualify for the 100-meter backstroke final at the world championships, the American has a new strategy for Thursday's semifinals in the 200 back.
"It's my only individual swim now. I'll be gunning for it absolutely — probably more so than usual," Peirsol said after qualifying second in morning heats. "It will be much safer, much safer."
Ryosuke Irie of Japan led the heats in 1 minute, 55.20 seconds and Peirsol clocked 1:55.88 — well off his world record of 1:53.08 set at the U.S. championships in Indianapolis earlier this month but right up there with the other contenders.
"I've been waiting to get my heart rate up for a while now, so it feels good," Peirsol said.
Peirsol's teammate Ryan Lochte qualified third in 1:55.97. Lochte and Peirsol finished 1-2 in this event at last year's Olympics.
Lochte will also swim the 200 individual medley final Thursday night, after tying Hungary's Laszlo Cseh for first in the semifinals Wednesday.
"I wasn't really happy with last night's performance. For as much as I tried, I kind of wished it was a lot faster," Lochte said. "Tonight is going to be a good race. There's about four guys right there. All the world records are getting broken, so everybody is going to get ready."
Twenty-two world records have been set through the first four days of the worlds. At the last worlds in Melbourne, Australia, two years ago, only 15 records were set. The record rush has been attributed to 100 percent polyurethane bodysuits, which will be banned next year.
Peirsol has one of the new suits from Arena but he made an elementary miscalculation and finished ninth in the 100 back semis, one spot too low to make the final, which he watched from the stands at the Foro Italico.
Peirsol could have taken some consolation from the fact that the winner, Juny Koga of Japan, did not come close to breaking his world record.
"It was hard to swallow, but at the same time I had already moved on, I was already ready for (the 200)," Peirsol said. "I've just never seen a 100 back from the stands at world championships, so I thought it would be good to watch."
Michael Phelps had the day off, his only full day of rest of the championships.
Another American, Amanda Weir, led the women's 100 freestyle heats in 53.20 seconds, while Olympic champion Britta Steffen of Germany was fourth.
Steffen set a new world record of 52.22 seconds on Sunday in the first leg of the 400 freestyle relay.
Championship records were set in both the men's and women's 200 breaststroke heats.
Eric Shanteau of the United States, who put off cancer treatment to compete in Beijing, clocked 2:08.55 to eclipse Kosuke Kitajima's six-year-old mark from the 2003 worlds in Barcelona.
Kitajima, who has won this event at the last two Olympics, is taking this year off.
Olympic bronze medalist Hugues Duboscq of France qualified in 11th and Beijing silver medalist Brenton Rickard of Australia barely made it in 16th — the final qualifying spot.
In the women's heats, Annamay Pierse of Canada touched in 2:21.68, shaving four hundredths off Australian Leisel Jones' mark from the 2005 worlds in Montreal.
Olympic champion and world record holder Rebecca Soni of the United States qualified second in 2:22.09.
The bronze medalist from last year's Beijing Games, Sara Nordenstam of Norway, failed to qualify, finishing nearly six seconds behind Pierse in 22nd.
A third championship record in the session was set by Britain in the women's 800 freestyle relay.
Caitlin McClatchey, Jazmin Carlin, Hannah Miley and Rebecca Adlington posted a time of 7:49.04, improving the Americans' time in Melbourne by about a second.
The United States, which swam in the same heat as Britain, qualified second, while world record-holder and Beijing champion Australia was fifth. Italy, led by freshly crowned 200 and 400 free individual champion Federica Pellegrini in the anchor position, just made it to the final in eighth.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

blueseventy committed to swimming

29 July 2009

blueseventy committed to swimming

blueseventy has confirmed it is fully committed to a long term involvement to swimming,
following the FINA announcement yesterday, Tuesday 28th July, that swimmers must return to
more traditional suits from next year.

However, the date of the change over is yet to be defined, and manufactures remain in the dark
about the exact definition of textile suits. Permeability will be a key issue as swimmers return to
shorts (above the knee and up to the navel) for men and suits from the knee to the neck for
women, with no zips.

Ceo, Steve Nicholls said: “We’ve been amazed at the way in which we’ve been supported by
swimmers and the swimming fraternity, and are committed to returning that support through a
long term swimming program. While we accept there is a need for change, we still have major
concerns over the nature of the changes, in particular, we don’t understand why there is no
parity between male and female swimmers, in terms of coverage, and we’re frustrated that
definitive guidelines on fabrics will not be available until the end of September.”

“The commercial implications of this decision should not be overlooked. Our technical direction
and design plans hinge on the types of fabrics that will be permitted. We know suits can only be
0.8mm thick, but we’d prefer to have more details in order to design the best possible suit that
swimmers will want to wear. However, the limited time period for development will suit a brand
like us that is able to move quickly.”

Three-time Olympic Champion Rowdy Gaines is concerned that yesterday’s announcement will
be detrimental to the sport. “I think the bodysuit is great for the sport. It gets the average person
to talk about our sport and it gets people involved who maybe would not have done so. People
love to see fast swimming.”

He added: “Many other sports are greatly influenced by technology, everything from motor
racing to golf and tennis. I fear that young age group swimmers will be lost to the sport because
they can’t achieve the times they have done previously in a bodysuit. I also worry that casual
fans will fade away when there’s no longer a frenzy of world records.”

As well as having a loyal following amongst pool swimmers, blueseventy was the first brand to
design a suit specifically for open water racing. The Nero 10k suit was worn by Olympic
Champion, Maarten vd Weijden in Beijing last year and by medal winners in World
Championships events last week. All versions of the blueseventy swimskin were approved even
before the Speedo LZR racer and have been in wide circulation ever since.

Steve Nicholls added: “There’s an argument that open water suits should fall under separate
guidelines. Open water swimming is the sports newest Olympic discipline and swimmers and
coaches need to have a voice in shaping its development, including the type of swimwear that is
to be allowed. It is also undertaken in a variety of different conditions, and just from a safety
perspective one could argue that different applications of these rules could apply.”

Retain their names: Sjostrom (SWE) and Kukors (USA)

Retain their names: Sjostrom (SWE) and Kukors (USA)
Monday, 27 July 2009 18:49 , Source: www.fina.org

Jessicah Schipper (AUS), Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) and Liuyang Jiao (CHN)
Sarah Sjostrom (SWE, 15 years old) and Ariana Kukors (USA, 20) were the two protagonists of the second day of the swimming competitions at the Foro Italico. Winners of the women’s 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley respectively in World Record times, these two names made in the best possible way their entry into the elite of world swimming. In a session marked by five new WR, Milorad Cavic (SRB, men’s 50m butterfly) won the first gold ever for his country, and Brenton Rickard (AUS) was best in the men’s 100m breaststroke. Regarding deceptions, the non-qualification of Aaron Peirsol (USA) for the final of the men’s 100m backstroke was a negative surprise.

In the men’s 100m breaststroke, Brenton Rickard (AUS) - third fastest in the semi-final (59.27) - controlled the race very well, overcame his main challengers and touched first in a new World Record (WR) of 58.58. The previous official WR was established by Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) at the 2008 Olympic Games (58.91), although Ukraine’s Igor Borysik had clocked 58.67 on June 11, 2009 (a WR pending FINA approval). Rickard, who collected three medals at home, in Melbourne in 2007 (second in the 200m breaststroke, third in the 100m and first in the 4x100 medley relay), and two awards at the “Water Cube” (silver in the 200m breaststroke and 4x100m medley relay), has achieved in Rome his first gold at this level.

On this accomplishment, Rickard said he had come to Rome to race and he was happy to get his hands on the wall first. “This gold means everything to me,” he said, adding that he has been with the same coach since the age of 10, and thus it is a very special honour for them both. “We have both tracked along the same path, and to finally end up here with gold – individually – is great for both of us.” Rickard said that for him, “racing is racing”, and his award came only after training as hard as he physically (and mentally) could manage, and racing as fast as he physically could.

With a fantastic second half to the race, French Hugues Duboscq was very close to beating the Australian, but obtained the silver in 58.64 (after coming second in the event at the 2005 Worlds in Montreal and third at the 2008 Olympics), while Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa got bronze in 58.95. Curiously, neither Eric Shanteau (USA), the fastest of the semi-final, nor Igor Borysik reached the podium: the American was fourth in 58.98 and the Ukrainian was fifth in 59.23.

The second World Record of the day was established in the women’s 100m butterfly, with the success of the “revelation” of the championships so far - Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom (15 years old). After setting a WR in the semi-final (56.44), Sjostrom swam even better in the decisive race, getting gold in 56.06. The silver medallist, Australia’s Jessicah Schipper, also swam under the previous best mark (56.23) but her effort was not enough to climb to the top position on the podium (she badly missed the last stroke). It was of course the first medal at this level for Sjostrom (and the second gold medal ever at the Worlds for a female Swedish swimmer, after the 2007 50m butterfly success of her compatriot Therese Alshammar), while for Schipper this success represented her eighth award at FINA World Championships (after one bronze in 2003, two gold and one silver in 2005, and two gold and one silver in 2007). She had also accumulated three medals in Beijing (gold in the medley relay and two bronze in the breaststroke events).

The bronze medal (56.86) went to China’s Liuyang Jiao, one of the revelations last year at the “Water Cube”, where she was silver medallist in the 200m butterfly.

The Stockholm based Sjostrom – coached by Carl Jenner – was in shock after her victory, and had few words to describe her feelings. “It will take a few days for this to sink in,” she said, but admitted that it was “awesome, and completely crazy” to be a world champion at her age. Her personal best in this event had considerably dropped in the last two days, she added, but not without a lot of hard work, which had resulted in massive improvements. To celebrate, she will “take some holidays after the competition”.

The third final of the day, the men’s 50m butterfly, constituted a test for Spain’s Rafael Munoz, world record holder in this event (since April 2009 with 22.43) and the fastest of the semi-final. For his first appearance at this level, Munoz did not confirm his credentials and finished third (22.88), behind Australia’s Matt Targett (silver in 22.73) and Milorad Cavic (SRB, first in 22.67, bettering by 0.01 the championships record established by the Spaniard in the semi-final). Cavic, one of the swimmers in evidence in Beijing after losing the gold medal to Phelps in the 100m butterfly by 0.01, earned in the Italian capital the first swimming gold (and medal) for his country (Serbia) at the Worlds (Darjan Petric, competing for Yugoslavia in 1978, had won one silver and one bronze in Berlin).

Cavic said he is very grateful for this medal, calling it an amazing way to start the championships and that there “is definitely something to being crowned the fastest butterflier in the world.” He proceeded to explain, however, that although he feels amazing and very happy, he is “overly focused on the 100m butterfly to enjoy this moment”. When Cavic was asked how he manages to win when it counts, he said that he has a very good coach, with whom he has a very open line of communication. Since the Olympics, he said, he has been “listening to [his] body and doing what [he] believed was the correct thing to do.” What happened in Beijing is behind him, he said, and he is now only looking forward.

In the fourth and last final of the second day of the swimming at the Foro Italico, Ariana Kukors gave USA its first individual gold medal, touching first in a new WR of 2:06.15 – she had already established a new best mark for this event in the semi-finals with 2:07.03, which was curiously the same time gained by the silver medallist in the final, a “certain” Stephanie Rice (AUS, Olympic champion in 2008). Kukors (20 years old) had as her best result a fifth place in the 400m IM at the 2007 Worlds in Melbourne. The bronze medal went to another newcomer at this level - Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (2:07.46). Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), second in 2007, was fourth with a time of 2:08.94 (two years ago, her silver was obtained in a time of 2:10.76).

Afterwards, Kukors explained that she had only even been able to swim this event due to a scratch from one of her teammates – Elizabeth Pelton – because of a scheduling conflict. “I found out at the last minute of the trials that I would swim this event, and I did some last minute training, with more lifting to get my strength up and focusing on the small things, like my turns,” she explained, adding that the underwater aspect of her race, which is one of her strengths, was very strong. Nevertheless, she was surprised with the time of 2:06.15 and said that having Rice chase her home was a great motivation. “It was a great race for both of us,” she said.

Concerning the semi-finals, the highlight of the day was the WR of Rebecca Soni (USA), who qualified first for the final with the time of 1:04.84, better than the 1:05.09 obtained by Leisel Jones (AUS) in March 2006. Soni had been second to Jones at the 2008 Games in this event. The fourth WR of the session was set by Anastasia Zueva (RUS) in the first semi-final of the women’s 100m backstroke: the Russian clocked 58.48, improving the former best mark established by Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) at the 2008 Olympics (58.77). In the other semi-final, Coventry did not improve, and took second in 59.21.

One of the surprises of the day was the ninth place finish of Aaron Peirsol (USA) in the semi-finals of the men’s 100m backstroke, an event in which he was world champion in 2007 and Olympic champion in 2008. Peirsol clocked 53.22, far from the unofficial WR (pending FINA approval) he set on July 8, 2009 in Indianapolis in 51.94

SILVER MEDAL FOR GEMMELL

Thursday, July 23, 2009
SILVER MEDAL FOR GEMMELL
Open Water events in Rome are in full swing under the hot Italian sun. Yesterday the course played host to the men's and women's 10k swims. Now an official Olympic event, the 10k is even more competitive than ever. Keri-Anne Payne of Great Britain took victory in the women's field amongst a sea of blueseventy suits. On the men's side Andrew Gemmell from the good old US of A came in second in blueseventy with American teammate Fran Crippen in third.
Up next are the daunting 25ks...not for the faint of heart.

ROMA 2009, 10k Women's is underway.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
ROMA 2009, 10k Women's is underway.
Well what an incredible venue and atmosphere at this world championships. The 10k event was underway this morning under clear sky's and weather that will surely demand the English man cracks open some factor 35. Watching the events with the blueseventy team are Olympic Champion Maarten Van Der Weijden, His Girlfriend Daisy, Steve Munatones (The Oracle of open water swimming) Michelle form Australia and two very excited parents of the USA open water swimmer Emily Brunemann. Picture and videos will be streaming to the blog as as when between meeting some of the great people i the world of open water allow. (For latest updates go to www.thewaterisopen.com)

Rome Day 3 but Really Day 1 - Reporting: Guy Crawford and the ever chatty Dean Jackson

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Rome Day 3 but Really Day 1 - Reporting: Guy Crawford and the ever chatty Dean Jackson
Our very own Guy Crawford and Dean Jackson are already in Rome covering the open water races kicking off today with the Men's and Women's 5k. Check out Guy's blog entry below:

"The first day has seen a phenomenal success for all athletes wearing the blueseventy 10k swimskins.

Results: Bronze Medal for POLIANA OKIMOTO ( Brazil) in the Women’s 5km competition
Sadly no medals in the men’s race but with the blueseventy nero 10k suit being the only Open Water specific swimskin it was clear which swimsuit was the preferred brand.

Activities:
Maarten Van Der Weijden Olympic Gold Medalist joined myself (Guy) and Steve Munatones to give a live twitter update of the race that was witnessed by several thousand (so our sources lead us to believe)
We helped Maarten to gain a VIP pass for the duration of the event (can you believe a Gold Medalist didn’t get one!!) For this Guy had to show a nipple….

Additionally, strong and future profitable alliances were made with all National Governing Bodies partaking in Open Water events (Specifically GB, USA and Brazil)

Further conversations with the BBC are looking fruitful for a televised piece from our living room showing all our suits on Thursday. For this Guy had to show other nipple….

Update: Found that Italy does not believe in the internet, IT has a different meaning here. BUT we will find a way for more in-depth reporting following another day in the water. (thanks to Jane in our New Zealand office for typing this up via phone)

Signing off 10.50pm ROMA time 2009AD"

Stay tuned for more updates and be sure and check out Guy's blog at http://blueseventyguy.blogspot.com and Roque's 'Roque n' Roll' blog at www.roque-n-roll.blogspot.com for interviews and inside info!
at 3:35 PM 0 comments

FINA World Championships, Open Water: Thomas Lurz Leaves Nothing To Chance, Wins Men's 5K -- July 21, 2009

By Steven Munatones, Swimming World Open Water correspondent
ROME, Italy, July 21. THOMAS Lurz, the most experienced open water swimmer in the field, proved he knows his sport and his competition at the men's 5K race at the FINA World Championships. As he sat back of the leading pack on the first loop, Lurz waited until 18-year-old Andrew Gemmell of Delaware made a break at the 3-kilometer mark. Gemmell took the temporary lead as 40 men started their pursuit. "I felt good and [the pace] wasn't tough, but perhaps I was in the lead for too long," Gemmell said. "Around the second-to-last turn buoy, I let up a bit and let Lurz take the lead." Germany's most decorated open water swimmer relished the opportunity and took off never to relinquish the lead. "[Lurz] set an extremely tough pace down the back half," Gemmell said. "I was behind him and the Greek swimmer [eventual silver medalist Spyridon Gianniotis], but I wasn't right on their feet. I couldn't close the gap, so I moved over to Fran's pack." Down the back straightaway, Fran Crippen of Germantown Academy swam off to the side of Lurz and Gianniotis, leading a group. As Lurz and Gianniotis continued their blistering pace, Crippen took a slightly different line, making the rest of the field make a choice. Gemmell went with his American teammate as did much of the field. Lurz never let up, but frequently looked back at his competitors. As the two split packs converged around the last turn buoy, Lurz had a final 650 meters to hold the field off. Nipping at his heels, Gianniotis went with him as the entire field swung wide. Very wide. "They just had their heads down and were battling each other," said Sid Cassidy, who had a great vantage point. "We made a big loop and I realized this [mistake] very late," Lurz said. "But it was OK and it doesn't matter in open water. Even if you swim further, your finish place is what matters." Chad Ho, a 19-year-old open water Olympian from South Africa, agreed. "I was fifth around the last turn," Ho said. "I was thinking ‘the top five is good.' But when the leaders skewed wide, I kept to myself and took a different line [to capture the bronze]" Down the finish chute, Gianniotis almost caught Lurz, but Lurz had enough kick left to win in 0.3 seconds. "I'm happy. It was good conditions today, but we have a 10K race tomorrow," said Lurz. "I am the oldest swimmer here, so I have to relax, get a massage, eat good like pasta and sleep good before tomorrow. If I don't feel drained, then we do it again." The entire field in tomorrow's 10K race will have Lurz in its sights, but he has proven himself time and time again. "Thomas [Lurz] is phenomenal," said silver medalist Gianniotis. "He is the best in the world of open water swimming." OFFICIAL RESULTS GOLD: Thomas Lurz, GER: 56:26.9 SILVER: Spyridon Gianniotis, GRE: 56:27.2 BRONZE: Chad Ho, RSA: 56:41.9 4. Luca Ferritti, ITA: 56:44.3 5. Andrew Gemmell, USA: 56:44.9 6. Loic Branda, FRA: 56:47.0 7. Francis Crippen, USA: 56:47.1 8. Diego Nogueira Montero, ESP: 56:47.2 9. Simone Ruffini, ITA: 56:47.3 10. Francisco Jose Hervas, ESP: 56:47.9 10. Vladimir Dyatchin, RUS: 56:47.9 12. Evgeny Drattsev, RUS: 56:48.5 13. Andrew Beato, AUS: 56:52.4 14. Rodrigo Elorza, MEX: 56:55.3 15. Csaba Gercsak, HUN: 57:07.1 16. Trent Grimsey, AUS: 57:07.2 17. Jan Posmourny, CZE: 57:07.8 18. Julien Sauvage, FRA: 57:09.6 19. Luiz Eduardo Lima, BRA: 57:11.1 20. Jakub Fichtl, CZE: 57:21.1 21. Jan Wolfgarten, GER: 57:31.7 22. David Creel, CAN: 57:37.1 23. Kostiantyn Ukradyga, UKR: 57:48.8 24. Richard Charlesworth, GBR: 57:57.4 25. Igor Snitko, UKR: 57:58.1 26. Luis Rogerio Arapiraca, BRA: 58:04.9 27. Daniel Viegas, POR: 58:05.0 28. Daniel Delgadillo, MEX: 58:17.7 29. Kurt Niehaus, CRC: 58:17.8 30. Esteban Enderica, ECU: 58:17.9 31. Gergely Gyurta, HUN: 58:20.8 32. Daniel Marais, RSA: 59:21.9 33. Alfie Howes, GBR: 59:36.8 34. Ivan Enderica, ECU: 59:40.1 35. Yvan Hernandez, VEN: 1:01:53.9 36. Angel Moreira, VEN: 1:01:57.1 37. Tomas Vachan, SVK: 1:02.06.8 38. Juan Prem Biere, GUA: 1:07:45.2 39. Mohammed Jassim Alghareeb, KSA: 1:07.49.8 Orel Jeffrey, ANT: Over time limit Kareem Valentine, ANT: Over time limit

European Junior Championships: Three European Junior Records Tumble -- July 8, 2009

European Junior Championships: Three European Junior Records Tumble -- July 8, 2009

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, July 8. DURING the first night of long course meter swimming at the European Junior Championships, three continental junior marks were rewritten.

France's Agnel Yannick turned in a time of 3:48.17 in the men's 400 free to post a junior mark with Hungary's Peter Bernek (3:50.53) and Spain's Adrian Mantas Mota (3:52.12) finishing second and third.

The Italian men's 400 free relay team of Francesco Donin, Luca Leonardi, Fabio Gimondi and Stefano Mauro Pizzamiglio clocked a junior record of 3:16.58, while France (3:20.08) and Germany (3:22.39) completed the top three.

In the men's 50 fly semifinals, Ukraine's Andriy Govorov checked in with a junior standard of 23.63. He went on to win the finale in 23.66 with Italy's Tommaso Romani (24.15) and Greece's Fotios Koliopoulos (24.36) taking second and third.

In other finals action, Italy's Ilaria Scarcella won the women's 50 breast in 31.71, while Germany's Vanessa Grimberg (31.87) and Poland's Paulina Zachoszcz (31.89) also cleared 32 seconds. Ireland's Grainne Murphy snagged the women's 400 IM title in 4:40.88. Great Britain's Aimee Willmott (4:44.81) and Italy's Stefania Pirozzi (4:45.37) completed the podium.



Source: www.swimmingworldmagazine.com

blueseventy on the blocks for European Junior Championships

30 June 2009

blueseventy on the blocks for European Junior Championships

Swimmers at the European Junior Championships will be able to wear
blueseventy bodysuits in Prague next month after LEN, the European swimming
federation, corrected an earlier statement saying they would not be
permitted.

An initial statement from LEN on 24 June indicated that blueseventy suits
would not be allowed, but the governing body had not been in touch with
blueseventy regarding the matter. LEN indicated that they would go with
FINAs approved suit list of 19 May 2009, disregarding the recently updated
list, which includes all current models of blueseventy bodysuits.

A later statement reversed this, indicating that ‘the latest published list
(FINA PR46, June 22nd) of approved swimsuits will be respected at all LEN
Events (including Open Water Swimming events) until further notice from
FINA.’

blueseventy welcomes this amendment, enabling the Europe’s leading juniors
to compete under exactly the same conditions as the seniors.

LEN European Junior Swimming Championships UPDATE

Dear friends,

after publishing a ban of suits that were on the updated FINA list from 22nd of June, LEN now apologized for the confusion and reassured that all suits that are on the updated list are approved to be used in all LEN covered events, including the European Junior Swimming Championships in Prague.

Here is the full letter explaining this:


Dear Friends,
On June 24th an erroneous communication was sent out from LEN Office concerning swimsuit use at the European Junior Swimming Championships to be held in Prague (CZE) from 8 to 12 July.
Unfortunately this correspondence ignored the LEN Bureau decision taken in Chania (GRE) on May 16th which was made public through a LEN Press Release dated May 29th stating:
• LEN follows FINA Rules and Regulations (LEN General Event Rule E 1.2) and will therefore prohibit the use of new generation swimsuits that are not on FINA’s regularly updated list of approved models at LEN Events.
Therefore, the latest published list (FINA PR46, June 22nd) of approved swimsuits will be respected at all LEN Events (including Open Water Swimming events) until further notice from FINA.
We apologise for the confusion incurred. Sincerely,
Nory Krutchen, LEN President.

We are happy that now finally the nero swim suits can be used in all swim races again and wish good luck to all athletes competing in the upcoming events.

Επιτέλους είδαμε μία αντίδραση....

Μπροστά στο συμφέρον οι επίσημες αρχές συναινούν απροκάλυπτα θυσιάζοντας αρχές και αξιοπρέπεια προκειμένου να στηρίξουν τους χορηγούς τους με αποτέλεσμα φυσικά να απαξιώνουν άκομψα τον θεσμικό τους ρόλο.
Σημείο των καιρών που ζούμε είναι η αδιαφορία της εξουσίας ανά τον κόσμο, η συναλλαγή της με τα συμφέροντα προς ίδιον όφελος και η ολοκληρωτική αδιαφορία για τις επιπτώσεις των ενεργειών της προς τα κατώτερα στρώματα.

Κι' ενώ όλα αυτά τα τραγελαφικά συμβαίνουν στην παγκόσμια κολυμβητική κοινότητα, εδώ στην μικρή Ελλάδα δεν βρέθηκε κανείς να σηκώσει τη φωνή του, να εκφράσει την αντίδραση του για όλα αυτά που στην ουσία θίγουν το οικονομικό του συμφέρον.
Ούτε οι γονείς, ούτε οι αθλητές (οι μεγαλύτεροι σε ηλικία), κανείς μα κανείς δεν αντέδρασε όλο το προηγούμενο διάστημα.

Κι' επιτέλους ήρθε η πρώτη αντίδραση από το Swimming.gr και τον Γιάννη Μηλιδάκη.
Λίγα λόγια, απλά,ξεκάθαρα είναι υπεραρκετά για να βάλουν τα πράγματα στην σωστή τους διάσταση.

Δεν αρκεί όμως μόνο αυτό. Χρειάζονται και άλλες φωνές πέραν του Swimming.gr,
του Swimming Planet.com, χρειάζονται οι φωνές όλων όσων πληρώνουν καθημερινά και με πολύ κόπο χρήματα για την αγορά αγωνιστικών μαγιό για τα παιδιά τους.
Όσο λοιπόν δεν υπάρχουν αντιδράσεις οργανωμένες και αρκούμαστε σε πηγαδάκια συζητήσεων θα εισπράττουμε αυτό που μας αναλογεί.

Κλείνοντας θέλω να πω πως είναι πολύ τιμητικό ο Έλληνας πρόεδρος της ΚΟΕ, να είναι και αντιπρόεδρος της LEN. Δεν τον γνωρίζω προσωπικά αλλά τον έχω ακούσει να μιλάει σε εκδηλώσεις που έτυχε να είμαι προσκεκλημένος και μου άφησε την αίσθηση ενός μαχητή που πάνω απ' όλα βάζει το συμφέρον των αθλητών.

Μήπως είναι καιρός να εκμεταλλευτείτε την υπερέχουσα θέση σας κύριε Πρόεδρε;

Σάκης Φωτόπουλος
Γενικός Διευθυντής
Swimming Planet.com

blueseventy ready for Rome

blueseventy has confirmed that body suits will be available at the World Championships in line with FINAs requirement to supply all competing athletes. Sufficient stocks are available to meet demand all major events this summer, including the European Junior Championships.

Having not altered its technical suit since initial approval in March, blueseventy has continued to produce the suits as planned. blueseventy suits were recently reinstated to FINAs list of approved suits after the brand successfully demonstrated that they do not trap air.

Athletes at the World Championships are invited to test blueseventy suits during competition in Rome.

Ceo, Steve Nicholls, commented: “There are plenty of suits available. We were confident of getting through the latest approval process and continued with production. We’re working closely with retailers to ensure supply meets demand, and will be in Rome with suits.”

“On this basis we are 100% prepared for The European Junior Championships and have yet to be contacted by LEN to discuss our situation. It’s disappointing that athletes at the European Junior Championships next month will not be permitted to select suits from the full list of currently approved suits. This can only cause an unnecessary distraction for them.”

LEN, the European governing body, will allow only those suits included on FINAs list from 19 May on the basis that newly approved suits are unlikey to be available in sufficient volumes to supply all competing athletes.

Nicholls added: “We are absolutely ready for Rome and look forward to seeing the swimmers, rather than swimwear, grabbing the headlines.”

ΤΕΛΟΣ ΣΤΟ ΧΑΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΓΚΕΚΡΙΜΕΝΩΝ ΑΓΩΝΙΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΜΑΓΙΟ

Στις 22/06/09 η παγκόσμια κολυμβητική ομοσπονδία ξεκαθάρισε την θέση της απέναντι στο τεράστιο θέμα της χρήσης ή όχι των νέας τεχνολογίας αγωνιστικών μαγιό.
Ανακοίνωσε την τελική λίστα των επιτρεπόμενων αγωνιστικών μαγιό, συμπεριλαμβάνοντας σε αυτήν όλα τα μοντέλα της Blueseventy, το Jaked JO1, το Arena X-Glide (moddified version), κ.ά., τα οποία είχε αρχικά, από 19/5/09, απορρίψει.

Ξαφνικά από εχθές άρχισε να κυκλοφορεί μία κυριολεκτικά ανεύθυνη φήμη, που ως συνήθως συμβαίνει στην Ελλάδα σε χρόνο ρεκόρ διαδίδεται και παίρνει μορφή εγκυκλίου, η οποία φήμη λέει ότι η LEN (Ευρωπαϊκή ομοσπονδία) απαγορεύει τα μαγιό νέας τεχνολογίας για το πανευρωπαϊκό νέων στην Πράγα 8-12/7/09.

Φυσικά καμμία τέτοια οδηγία δεν υπάρχει. Επισκεφτείτε την επίσημη ιστοσελίδα της LEN
http://www.len.eu για να διαβάσετε τις επίσημες θέσεις της Ευρωπαϊκής Ομοσπονδίας, η οποία ακολουθεί τις οδηγίες της FINA και επιτρέπει τη χρήση όλων των μαγιό που βρίσκονται στην λίστα της Παγκόσμιας Ομοσπονδίας.

Ας σταματήσει επιτέλους η ανευθυνότητα και ας αφήσουμε τους αθλητές ήρεμους να κάνουν τις επιλογές τους και να προετοιμαστούν για τα events που πρόκειται να συμμετάσχουν.

Σάκης Φωτόπουλος
df@swimmingplanet.com

4strokes Newsletter #1, Swimming Planet, JUNE 2009

Swimming Planet warehouse full of allowed swimsuits from FINA list.

Full stock exists in Swimming Planet from the most popular suits from FINA’s list of approval.

More than 200 performance swimsuits are waiting to satisfy the needs of athletes in any category during this last period of the competitions. Diana submarine SA, Diana submarine TF, Speedo FSPRO & FSII, Maru MX1 and of course the most popular BLUE SEVENTY.

We remind you that in Swimming Planet you can always find the products that you desire in the best prices. Place your order in our e-shop or just give us a call and the next day your favorite product will arrive at your door.

Swimming Planet sponsorship at "Tsitia 2009"

With big success was completed the swimming event "Tsitia 2009" of Poseidon Swimming Club in Ilisia, where the Swimming Planet was one of the main sponsors in the competition.
The participation went over 1200 athletes of "age groups" and "10-11-12 years old groups".
The involvement of the new administration of Poseidon in the competition "Tsitia 2009" left a lot of promises for even better competitions in the future.

Swimming Planet sponsorship for the organization of "10-11-12 years old groups" championship in Olympic Swimming Center (OAKA).

With the determinative contribution-sponsorship the “10-11-12 years old groups" championship will take place in the Athens Olympic Swimming Center (OAKA) which pleased athletes and their parents who saw their requirement becoming true.
With that move the administration of Swimming Planet wishes to blaze a trail in the Greek swimming community as an e-shop with pan European activities.
Swimming Planet utilizes every possibility it has and wishes to develop a singularly constructive part in the development of the games in the water sports. For that reason we will aim at a cooperation with traditional "players" of the Greek water sports market to achieve results for the benefit of the athletes regarding the improvement of their racing conditions.

Swimming Planet collaboration with Aggeliki Exarhou for the promotion of the e-shop and DIANA products.

Swimming Planet welcomes with joy the Greek champion Aggeliki Exarhou.
From 01/09/2009 and for a year Mrs. Exarhou will collaborate closely with Swimming Planet, which will be her Silver Sponsor.
The particular collaboration completed with the contribution of DIANA Italy, the exclusive sponsor for athletic materials of Mrs. Exarhou.
In that way the promotion of DIANA products gets more powerful through Swimming Planet, which comprise the biggest associate of the Italian company in Greece.

Swimming Planet contributors net development in Thessaloniki and Patra

With steady steps Swimming Planet is growing the pan Hellenic sales network.
"4lane", specialist swimming shop in Thessaloniki, represents the first nodal net to provide the products that Swimming Planet imports and represents.
"Aquafrenia", in Patra represents the second nodal net from the, under development, pan Hellenic net of Swimming Planet.
In our contributors you can find all the products of Maru, Diana and BlueSeventy and also the special paddles of Strokemakers.

Swimming Planet is planning to expand its sales network in all the big cities of Greece and for that reason we are negotiating with the most well known swimming shops in towns like Volos, Larissa, Lamia, Ioannina, Chalkida, Chania (Crete), Iraklio (Crete) etc.

4strokes Newsletter #1, Swimming Planet, ΙΟΥΝΙΟΣ 2009

Γεμάτες οι αποθήκες του Swimming Planet με τα επιτρεπόμενα μαγιό της λίστας της FINA.

Πλήρες απόθεμα υπάρχει στο Swimming Planet από τα κυριότερα μαγιό που εμφανίζονται στην λίστα της FINA ως επιτρεπόμενα.

200 και πλέον αγωνιστικά μαγιό περιμένουν για να ικανοποιήσουν τις ανάγκες των αθλητών όλων των κατηγοριών σ' αυτή την τελευταία περίοδο αγωνιστικών υποχρεώσεων. Diana submarine SA, Diana submarine TF, Speedo FSPRO & FSII, Maru MX1 και φυσικά τα ιδιαιτέρως δημοφιλή BLUE SEVENTY.

Σας θυμίζουμε ότι στο Swimming Planet θα βρίσκεται πάντα τα προίόντα που επιθυμείτε στις καλύτερες τιμές της αγοράς. Τοποθετήστε την παραγγελία σας μέσω του ηλεκτρονικού μας καταστήματος ή διαφορετικά απλά τηλεφωνήστε μας και την επόμενη ημέρα θα φθάσει στην πόρτα σας το αγαπημένο σας προϊόν.

Χορηγία του swimming Planet στα "Τσίτεια 2009".

Με μεγάλη επιτυχία ολοκληρώθηκε το κoλυμβητικό event των "Τσιτείων 2009" του Ποσειδώνα Ιλισίων, όπου το Swimming Planet ήταν ένας εκ των βασικών χορηγών της διοργάνωσης. Η συμμετοχή ξεπέρασε τους 1200 αθλητές αγωνιστικών και προαγωνιστικών κατηγοριών . Η εμπλοκή της νέας διοίκησης του Ποσειδώνα στην διοργάνωση των "Τσιτείων 2009" άφησε πολλές υποσχέσεις για ακόμα καλύτερες διοργανώσεις στο μέλλον.

Χορηγία του Swimming Planet για την διοργάνωση του πρωταθλήματος της προαγωνιστικής στο ΟΑΚΑ.

Με την καθοριστική συμβολή-χορηγία του Swimming Planet το πρωτάθλημα των προ-αγωνιστικών κατηγοριών θα διεξαχθεί στο Ολυμπιακό κολυμβητήριο (ΟΑΚΑ) προς ικανοποίηση των αθλητών και των γονιών τους που τελικά είδαν την επιθυμία τους να γίνεται πραγματικότητα. Με αυτή τη κίνηση η διοίκηση του Swimming Planet επιθυμεί να δώσει το στίγμα του ρόλου του στα Ελληνικά κολυμβητικά δρώμενα ως ηλεκτρονικό κατάστημα πανευρωπαϊκής εμβέλειας. Το Swimming Planet αξιοποιώντας τις όποιες δυνατότητες έχει επιθυμεί να διαδραματίσει ένα ιδιαίτερα εποικοδομητικό ρόλο στην ανάπτυξη των αθλημάτων του υγρού στίβου και γι' αυτό το λόγο θα επιδιώξει την συνεργασία του με παραδοσιακούς "παίκτες" της Ελληνικής αγοράς του υγρού στίβου προκειμένου τα αποτελέσματα αυτών των συνεργασιών να μεταφραστούν σε όφελος των αθλητών ως προς τις συνθήκες διεξαγωγής των αγώνων τους.

Συνεργασία του Swimming Planet με την Αγγελική Εξάρχου για την προώθηση του ηλεκτρονικού καταστήματος και των προϊόντων της DIANA.

Την Ελληνίδα πρωταθλήτρια Αγγελική Εξάρχου υποδέχεται με ιδιαίτερη χαρά η οικογένεια του Swimming Planet. Από 01/09/09 και για ένα χρόνο η κυρία Εξάρχου θα έχει στενή συνεργασία με το Swimming Planet το οποίο θα αποτελεί και τον Αργυρό Χορηγό της. Η συγκεκριμένη συνεργασία ολοκληρώθηκε με την συμβολή της Diana Italy η οποία ως γνωστόν είναι ο αποκλειστικός χορηγός αθλητικού υλικού της κυρίας Εξάρχου. Κατ' αυτό το τρόπο ενδυναμώνεται ουσιαστικά η προώθηση των προϊόντων της DIANA μέσω του Swimming Planet που αποτελεί τον μεγαλύτερο συνεργάτη της Ιταλικής εταιρίας στην Ελλάδα.

Ανάπτυξη του δικτύου συνεργατών του Swimming Planet σε Θεσσαλονίκη και Πάτρα.

Με σταθερά βήματα εξελίσσεται η ανάπτυξη του πανελλαδικού δικτύου συνεργατών του Swimming Planet.

Το "4lane" εξειδικευμένο κολυμβητικό κατάστημα στην Θεσσαλονίκη αποτελεί τον πρώτο κόμβο του δικτύου για την διάθεση των προϊόντων που εισάγει και αντιπροσωπεύει το Swimming Planet.

Το "Aquafrenia" στην Πάτρα αποτελεί τον δεύτερο κόμβο του υπό ανάπτυξη πανελλαδικού δικτύου του Swimming Planet.

Στους συνεργάτες του δικτύου μας μπορείτε να βρείτε όλα τα προϊόντα της Maru, της Diana και της Blueseventy καθώς και τα εξειδικευμένα paddles της strokemakers.

Το Swimming Planet σκοπεύει να αναπτύξει συνεργασίες σε όλες τις μεγάλες πόλεις της Ελλάδας και γι' αυτό το λόγο βρίσκεται σε συζητήσεις με τα γνωστότερα κολυμβητικά καταστήματα στις πόλεις Βόλος, Λάρισα, Λαμία, Ιωάννινα, Χαλκίδα, Χανιά, Ηράκλειο κ.ά.

Η Blueseventy επιστρέφει στη λίστα των επιτρεπομένων μαγιό της FINA - Blueseventy back in the pool

Η Blueseventy, μετά από απόφαση της FINA, επιστρέφει στην πισίνα με όλα της τα μοντέλα χωρίς καμία μετατροπή.

Το Swimming Planet ανακοινώνει ότι είναι έτοιμο από πλευράς στοκ να ικανοποιήσει τις ανάγκες των αθλητών όλων των κατηγοριών:

"Γεμάτες οι αποθήκες του Swimming Planet με τα επιτρεπόμενα μαγιό της λίστας της FINA.

Πλήρες απόθεμα υπάρχει στο Swimming Planet από τα κυριότερα μαγιό που εμφανίζονται στην λίστα της FINA ως επιτρεπόμενα.

200 και πλέον αγωνιστικά μαγιό περιμένουν για να ικανοποιήσουν τις ανάγκες των αθλητών όλων των κατηγοριών σ' αυτή την τελευταία περίοδο αγωνιστικών υποχρεώσεων.

Diana submarine SA, Diana submarine TF, Speedo FSPRO & FSII, Maru MX1 και φυσικά τα ιδιαιτέρως δημοφιλή BLUE SEVENTY Nero Comp και Nero 10k."

Σας θυμίζουμε ότι στο Swimming Planet μπορείτε πάντα να βρείτε τα προϊόντα που επιθυμείτε στις καλύτερες τιμές!

---

Blueseventy, following FINA's desicion, is back in the pool with Nero Comp and Nero 10k.

Swimming Planet announces that it is ready to serve the athletes with all approved racing swimsuits:

"Full stock exists in Swimming Planet from the most popular suits from FINA’s list of approval.

More than 200 performance swimsuits are waiting to satisfy the needs of athletes in any category during this last period of the competitions.

Diana submarine SA, Diana submarine TF, Speedo FSPRO & FSII, Maru MX1 and of course the most popular BlueSeventy Nero Comp and Nero 10k."

We remind you that in Swimming Planet you can always find the products that you desire in the best prices!

Industry News: Blueseventy Anticipates FINA's Swim Suit Ruling -- June 19, 2009

PHOENIX, Arizona, June 19.

IN a press release distributed this morning, Blueseventy launched a preemptive strike in anticipation of FINA's next ruling on swimsuits expected June 22.

Here is the full release without edit:

Swimwear brand Blueseventy was one of thirteen brands to present their high-tech body suits to swimming's world governing body, FINA, yesterday (18 June 2009). However, the announcement of which suits will be approved has been delayed by two days until Monday 22 June.

The sport has been in disarray since FINA placed previously approved world record breaking suits on the banned list. The status of records set is still under question. Eleven BlueSeventy models were amongst 136 suits not approved for racing and have been effectively 'off the shelves' since last month.

It was banned on the basis of 'air-trapping' without any clarification of how this was being tested or measured. BlueSeventy called on the technical expertise of Huub Touissant of the University of Amseterdam to demonstrate that the suit does not trap air.

On this basis BlueSeventy is not proposing any alterations be made to its existing suits. The delay to FINA's announcement, originally scheduled for Saturday 20 June, is based on the French national federation's request to avoid disruption at their national championships, which are taking place this weekend.

BlueSeventy's Dean Jackson commented: "We presented a rock-solid argument that our suits do not trap air and feel this will help convince FINA to put us back on the list of approved suits. However, we are disappointed that the announcement has been delayed until Monday, as this is effectively another two days of lost sales opportunities."

Blueseventy will make a statement following the publication of FINAs new list on Monday 22nd June. This will be issued at 5pm GMT.

About blueseventy
blueseventy, aptly named to suggest 70% of the earth covered in water, is the world leader in triathlon and open water wetsuits, swimskins and googles. Since 1993, the Seattle-based company has designed, tested, refined and crafted products using superior materials and revolutionary details that equate to comfort, freedom from restriction and ultimately a competitive advantage in the water. blueseventy products have instilled confidence in beginners as well as carried world-class athletes to victory. blueseventy products can be found in more than 250 retail locations across the U.S. and in 15 countries.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing.

Swimming Blogs - The Screaming Viking !

'This article published in floswim today trying to present the chaos created by Fina's list"

Big Suit Meeting Today
The Screaming Viking ! Profile
June 18, 2009
Swimnews is reporting that today is the day that all the swimsuit companies get their “15 minutes” to plead their cases to FINA about why their suit should make the final approved list for this long course season. To quote Craig Lord:“For now, more certain is that there will be some uncomfortable moments in Lausanne today; for FINA, for the independent testing team and for suit makers. Feelings boil down to the question of whether it is fair to have left the Speedo LZR and other 2008-09 non-textile apparel in the water when they clearly enhance performance but then cut out things such as the Jaked01 and arena X-Glide when they also enhance performance, if not in a quantifiable way then surely in a significant and undeniable fashion.” Yeah, I’d say it will be uncomfortable. I can only hope that John Leonard isn’t the one trying to give the suit companies an explanation for drawing their imaginary line at the LZR. The lawyers will eat him alive. In his interview with Garrett at floswim he danced around the answers to the hard questions better than the zombies in the Thriller video. He is on the FINA suit commission and could not give any clue of the testing procedure that got suits taken off of the unapproved list. He made it clear that he knows nothing about the testing. He didn’t even get the head of the testing team’s name right! What’s worse is that he then went on a spiel about air trapping being an issue since 2000 and pointed at the “silver” sheen when someone jumps in the pool with a dry FS1, which is on the FINA approved list. How can you admit that other suits trap air too, but then give no reason for drawing the line where you did? If permeability is not to be addressed until January, there is no justifiable reason to have made the decisions that were made. The whole point of forming the commission was so that we could have an open scientific process through which to make a fair decision. Way to go, guys. When the buoyancy and thickness standards were printed, I honestly thought the list was going to allow all current tech… and just like I and so many others predicted, current tech met those standards. When the Arena X-glide debuted, it had not yet been approved by FINA. I could almost hear the defeat in Alan Thompson’s voice he was quoted as saying this regarding Alain Bernard’s 100m free record set in that unapproved suit: “The procedure has been very open, all the manufacturers know what tests will be done, and I doubt that any major manufacturer would submit a suit that wouldn't get through the process.” How then, did we get to where we are? It looks to me like hiring Prof. Manson was just for show. They “carefully” added the word “may” to the required specs for suit companies to follow so that they can take the scientific stats and throw them out the window if needed and disqualify any suits they see fit. How are they gonna explain that to Blueseventy’s lawyers? Hopefully better than John Leonard explained it to us. This meeting is gonna be a zoo.

FINA's Final 2009 Approved Suits List Due June 22

FINA's Final 2009 Approved Suits List Due June 22
Craig Lord (www.swimnews.com)
Jun 16, 2009

The Paris Open will be run under the same conditions as the Mare Nostrum Tour after FINA informed federations today that it will release the final list of approved suits, with any modified versions of suits that may now have passed independent tests, after Midsummer Night and the French meet, next Monday, June 22.
The move follows a request by the French federation, FFN, for FINA to avoid any announcement on suits until after the June 19 deadline set for suit makers to submit for testing any apparel rejected on May 19 and since modified to take account of the objections raised by FINA according to advice received from the head of the independent suit-testing team, Prof Jan-Anders Manson.
France had feared that the chaos seen at meets across the world this past six months would spill over into the Paris Open, to be held this weekend, if yet another new instruction on suits was issued on the eve of racing in the French capital.
The FFN stated: "The French federation is happy with that decision, which is the positive response we were looking for. The information [from FINA], also indicates the control procedure [on suits] that will be in place at world championships in Rome."

USMS Suit Update

A member of the FINA press association was recently quoted as saying that FINA is not applying the regulations of the Dubai Charter to masters swimming. This essentially breaks down to – suits that were legal 2 months ago are legal today for masters competition. This also include records. Suits do not need to be declared for world masters records. Stay tuned for more info.

Buoyancy?

"An article on floswimming.org by Chris Brammer"

Buoyancy?
Chris Brammer Profile
June 13, 2009

FINA has yet to provide any sound reasoning as to why some suits are banned and others are not. Where in the manufacturing of suits is the line drawn and what exactly does that line differentiate? BlueSeventy suits "may trap air when worn by a swimmer" and that is why they are banned? Well they may not. Does this mean that for all of the suits that were approved this air trapping effect has been ruled out? I cannot fathom how they were able to quantify this “air trapping” as it is surely dependent on the shape, texture, and position of the swimmer in addition to the permeability of the suit material. The issue of permeability has been put off until later, as John Leonard stated in his interview with GM. How then, knowing for sure that the LZR and others do not trap air and not knowing of the suit’s permeability, did FINA create this list of banned suits? Buoyancy is one variable that Professor Hanson ..err Manson has supposedly measured and is at the center of recent discussion. Therefore, I wish to define buoyancy and discuss some of the issues that FINA and the independent research group hired to evaluate the suits are faced.
Buoyancy is only part of what makes an object float or sink in a fluid. Buoyancy is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by a submerged object, and is proportional to the object’s volume. However, it is the summation of an object’s weight (downward force) and it’s buoyancy (upward force) that determines if it will sink or float. An object that is completely submerged in water will float if it’s dry weight is less than it’s buoyancy and, alternatively, an object will sink if it’s weight is greater than its buoyancy.
To put it in other terms, if an object’s weight to volume ratio (it’s density) is less than the density of the fluid in which it is submerged, then the object will float. If we wish to decrease our density relative to the fluid to improve “floatability” then we can decrease our weight, increase our volume, or some combination of both. For example, a lean-bodied swimmer who normally sinks needs only to take a big breath of air (thus increasing volume and decreasing density below that of the water) and he/she will float. In the case of suits, if the density of the swim suit is less than the density of the swimmer, then the density of suit+swimmer will be less than the swimmer alone and he or she will have a larger buoyancy. The increase in buoyancy can work to make a swimmer sink less or float more depending on their individual body density. The problem is that the greater difference in density the suit is compared to the swimmer, the more relative effect it will have. In other words, although a given suit will increase buoyancy the same amount for everyone, the effect of this change on “floatability” will be different depending on the individual’s initial density.
FINA states that a “swimsuit shall not have a buoyancy effect of more than 1 Newton (100g).” What does this mean exactly and why 1 Newton? Is it that a suit (by itself) shall not have buoyancy greater than 100g?If that is the case, then a suit measured to have a volume of 100ml will also have a buoyancy of 100g and the majority of our suits would not be compliant. Is it that a suit alone shall not have a net upward force (downward weight plus upward buoyancy) of 100g? I interpret FINA’s rule to mean a suit when worn by a swimmer shall not cause a net increase in upward force more than 1 Newton (100g). But as I said above, just because a suit increases buoyancy 100g for all who wear it, that does not mean that each swimmer enjoys the same effect. So how has Professor Manson proposed to address this issue?
In addition to an unequal effect on “floatability”, where this additional buoyancy is acting on the swimmer is also of concern. If the resultant buoyancy does not act through the swimmer’s center of mass, then the body begins to rotate. In a typical swimmer, resultant buoyancy is directed closer to the head than the center of mass (through which the subject’s weight acts). This torque causes the body to rotate in the direction of the feet toward the pool’s floor. The greater distance between the downward force of weight and upward force of buoyancy, the faster the body will tend to rotate. If we were able to shift the resultant buoyancy closer to the center of mass (perhaps with a leg suit of low density), then the effect would be a slower sinking of the legs and improved body position (less energy is required of the swimmer to keep his legs up). The problem here is that it is entirely possible that these new swim suits do not result in a net upward force (and therefore pass the 1 Newton test) but may shift the resultant buoyancy closer to the center of mass with the effect of decreasing leg rotation toward the pool’s floor. How can we account for this?
The independent research group hired to evaluate the suits have yet to disclose their results and, perhaps more importantly, their methodology. When (or if) this occurs we may gain greater insight as to how a suit is or is not approved. However, buoyancy is not the only variable of concern as I have yet to mention about material permeability to air and water, both of which have the potential to affect performance. Further, the variables of resistance, compression, and body alignment, among others, have been identified as potential players in the task of swim suit evaluation. Some would say the enormous task FINA faces is of their own doing, but it is too late to point fingers. We cannot change the past. We must now focus on gathering as much information on the What and How of tech-suits so that we may make reasoned decisions for the future.

French Federation Seeks Suit List Delay

French Federation Seeks Suit List Delay
Craig Lord
Jun 10, 2009

The French Swimming Federation has called on FINA to delay any release of a new suits list until June 22 so that the Paris Open can take place under sensible conditions understood by officials, coaches and swimmers alike. Those conditions would follow the current FINA suit list, in common with the three stages of the Mare Nostrum Tour this week.
In a statement, the federation notes that it would be impossible to "police" the Paris Open if FINA publishes a list of modified versions of suits rejected on May 19 but potentially eligible to make the 2009 approved-for-use list after alterations to take into account the objections of FINA on the advice of Prof Jan-Anders Manson and his team of independent suit testers.
What the French federation is calling for is the kind of certainty that has been lacking in the sport of swimming for some while now after the international federation allowed the LZR into the water last year and precipitated the arrival of an equipment-based sport. FINA is now working on a return to textile suits in 2010 but the waters remain muddy this summer in what the international federation describes as a transition phase that is fair to suit makers.
There are many who believe that FINA's priority should have been fairness to swimmers. But a withdrawal from the world of fast suits as fast as the entry into that domain was never going to be easy, with production lines rolling and stock to clear.
What the FFN is calling for should be easy to deliver: June 19 was the deadline by which suit makers had to get modified suits to FINA, therefore any amended suits list would, presumably, take at least a couple of days to compile and to make public.
The French federation is making serious attempts to understand precisely what FINA wants from January 1, 2010. In response to FINA's letter to federations, which invites them to "vote" "Yes" or "No" to FINA's swimwear rule (don't recall federations voting for the approval of the LZR - that was down to just three men) proposals from Jan 1, 2010, French fed president and FINA Bureau member Francis Luyce asks 12 questions, among them:
Thickness - 0.8mm, is that applicable to stretched textile or not?
Pemeability - how were the 167 points of 'control' arrived at? Were they arrived at by testing suits in use (swimmer in motion) or static (just on the suit alone)?
Textile-Only - what do we understand by textile? The definition of textile is: woven fabric. Under that definition, which fabrics will be authorised? [ED: this is a very critical question, for reasons that will soon become apparent].
Caps - it would seem that we ought also to look into issues of thickness and buoyancy.

Front Line Of The FINA Suit Fiasco

Front Line Of The FINA Suit Fiasco.Floswimming interviewed John Leonard, a member of the FINA Suit Commission, and tried to get the lowdown on how the FINA suit decision went down. Hopefully this explains things for you.

Swimming: Swimsuit company set for FINA showdown over ban

4:00AM Sunday Jun 07, 2009By Dylan Cleaver

New Zealand swimsuit manufacturers blueseventy are still to receive an acceptable explanation from FINA as to why their racing suit has been banned, so are preparing for a showdown with swimming's governing body in Lausanne.
Chief executive Steve Nicolls is hoping for more details why FINA have rejected their racing suit before the June 18 meeting but, despite several emails and calls to the body, has received only partial explanation.
Racing suits have come under intense scrutiny in the past year in the wake of several smashed world records.
FINA believe many suits worn by the world's top swimmers contravene buoyancy and permeability regulations. The more buoyant the suits, the higher the swimmers' hips sit in the water and the faster they can go.
"Our suits have passed the thickness and buoyancy tests. We measured a 20 when you have to finish below 100 on the FINA scale so there is no grey area. We're not talking about coming in at 99.5 and leaving it open to doubt," said Nicholls.
Blueseventy, a small New Zealand company that specialised in triathlon swim suits before moving into the pool a year ago to great effect, have put the matter into the hands of lawyers. Nicolls is scathing of the explanation they have received so far.
"FINA's line is the commission made a decision based on a 'general observation' of our suits.
"Where does that leave us? Where does that leave our customers? We submitted 11 different samples and that is what they come back with. I've since been told our suits are very close to passing. Being a small company, this decision has a massive effect on the business."
Nicolls said they were less than a 30th the size of swimwear giants Speedo, who work on a annual revenue of about US$300 million, so did not have the resources for a long and costly battle with the authorities.
Unless FINA has a change of heart, whatever option blueseventy take - whether it be legal or changing the manufacturing of the suit - it will be a costly affair.
"We have got to look after the customers but there is a limit to what we can do.
"They might be wearing a suit that was legal a month ago, is illegal now, and could be legal again by the end of the month.
"We've looked at recall options but it would be extremely difficult with our relatively small resources.
"We're in limbo really."
Blueseventy had a penetration of close to 40 per cent in some countries in the race-suit market.

blueseventy is back in the pool in Germany

UPDATE (June 22nd 2009): Blueseventy made it on FINA's List of Approved Swimsuits, click here to read more.

" One by one European swimming federations change their initial decisions about blueseventy."

blueseventy is back in the pool in Germany.

The use of blueseventys nero is legal for all all German Master events from now on. German swimmers are very happy that DSV (German swim federation) changed its decision and allows the blueseventy suits for the upcoming masters events. We wish all swimmers good luck for the German masters championships next weekend.For further information please see the DSV document that confirms the legal use of blueseventy nero swimskins. We would like to say thank you to the Master Swimmers Halle (Germany) for their substantial support.

Posted by Steve Nicholls.

Θα σκεφτούμε ποτέ τους αθλητές μας?

"Άρθρο του Γενικού Διευθυντή του Swimming Planet για την σκανδαλώδη λίστα της FINA και την τοποθέτηση της ΚΟΕ"

Πόσο απογοητευτικό είναι τελικά να αναμένεις να σεβαστούν οι αρχές τις θυσίες που κάνεις για να ανταπεξέλθεις στις αγωνιστικές υποχρεώσεις του παιδιού σου, αλλά τελικά να διαπιστώνεις πως στα μάτια τους είσαι ο τελευταίος τροχός της άμαξας.

Αναφέρομαι στην απόφαση της FINA, η οποία έρχεται να απαγορεύσει την χρήση συγκεκριμένων αγωνιστικών μαγιό νέας τεχνολογίας για το επερχόμενο παγκόσμιο πρωτάθλημα της Ρώμης ευνοώντας με αυτή την απόφαση άλλα μαγιό νέας τεχνολογίας διατηρώντας τα στην περίφημη λίστα.
Οι προβλεπόμενοι από τους κανονισμούς εργαστηριακοί έλεγχοι δεν κατέγραψαν πρόβλημα ως προς τις παραμέτρους της Άνωσης και της παγίδευσης του αέρα (air trapping) . Παρ’ όλα αυτά ο επικεφαλής του εργαστηρίου ανακοινώνοντας την αξιολόγιση του αναφέρθηκε σε πιθανότητα παγίδευσης αέρα στο μαγιό κατά την χρήση του χωρίς να είναι σε θέση να παράσχει ουδεμία τεκμηρίωση επ’ αυτού.

Το αποτέλεσμα λοιπόν αυτής της διαδικασίας είναι η απροκάλυπτη εκ’ μέρους της FINA χειραγώγηση της αγοράς καταλύοντας οποιοδήποτε νομικό πλαίσιο ελεύθερου ανταγωνισμού. Γι’ αυτό το λόγο τόσο η Blueseventy όσο και η Jaked (οι βασικότεροι ανταγωνιστές του LZR), έχουν αναθέσει ήδη σε μεγάλα Ευρωπαϊκά νομικά γραφεία τον χειρισμό των υποθέσεων τους διεκδικώντας άμεσα την δικαίωση τους.

Σκοπός μου δεν είναι να αναλύσω το πως προέκυψε αυτή η απόφαση της FINA μεσούσης της αγωνιστικής περιόδου διότι αυτό έχει καταγραφεί από τα μεγαλύτερα διεθνή ηλεκτρονικά και έντυπα μέσα ως σκάνδαλο τεραστίων διαστάσεων που συνδέεται άμεσα με τις διοικητικές ανακατατάξεις στα εσωτερικά της FINA.


Σήμερα η κατάσταση έχει διαμορφωθεί ως εξής

Έχουμε μία απόφαση της διεθνούς ομοσπονδίας, η οποία σημειώνω δεν έχει ακόμα οριστικοποιηθεί – εκκρεμεί η τελική της διαμόρφωση στις 19/06/09 – η οποία αναφέρεται στο ποιά αγωνιστικά μαγιό θα χρησιμοποιηθούν στο επερχόμενο παγκόσμιο πρωτάθλημα της Ρώμης.

Έχουμε μία προγενέστερη απόφαση της FINA (14/03/09), η οποία προσπαθεί να βάλει κανόνες για το ποιά θα είναι η σύσταση του υλικού των αγωνιστικών μαγιό από 01/01/2010, ξεκαθαρίζοντας ότι όσα μαγιό κυκλοφορούν στην αγορά μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν έως και τις 31/12/09.

Έχουμε επίσης ως δεδομένο την ελευθερία που δίνει η FINA προς τις Εθνικές Ομοσπονδίες – μέλη της- να αποφασίσουν για τις εγχώριες διοργανώσεις τους εάν θα ακολουθήσουν ή όχι την παραπάνω οδηγία..

Πριν συνεχίσω σε αυτό το σημείο οφείλω να εξηγηθώ για τον εαυτό μου.
Είμαι γονέας δύο αθλητών κολύμβησης του Φωτόπουλου Κωνσταντίνου (Παίδας μικρός) και της Φωτοπούλου Ελένης (Παγκορασίδα Β) και παράλληλα έχω τη χαρά να διοικώ μία ιδιαίτερα δυναμική και ανερχόμενη επιχείρηση που δραστηριοποιείται εμπορικά στον χώρο του υγρού στίβου από τις αρχές του τρέχοντος έτους και αναφέρομαι στο ηλεκτρονικό κατάστημα www.swimmingplanet.com , καθώς και στην εισαγωγική εταιρία Nisos Trading & Consulting Ltd, η οποία αντιπροσωπεύει σε Eλλάδα και Κύπρο την Blueseventy και είναι για την Ελλάδα ειδικός συνεργάτης της Diana, Αντιπρόσωπος της Maru, της Strokemakers, της Myotest και άλλων πολύ γνωστών οίκων του εξωτερικού.


Στις 21/05/09 αποστέλλουμε ως εταιρία επίσημη επιστολή προς την ΚΟΕ προκειμένου αφ’ ενός να την ενημερώσουμε για την κατάσταση που έχει δημιουργηθεί με την λίστα της FINA και αφ’ ετέρου να της παρουσιάσουμε το τι συμβαίνει στην Ελληνική αγορά.
Ζητήσαμε από την ΚΟΕ να λάβει υπόψη της την επένδυση εκατοντάδων Ελλήνων αθλητών και να τους προστατέψει επιτρέποντας τους την χρήση των μαγιό για τις εγχώριες διοργανώσεις και δεσμευτήκαμε ως οφείλαμε ότι δεν προτιθέμεθα να πουλήσουμε ούτε ένα μαγιό, εκτός λίστας, έως της τελικής ανακοίνωσης της FINA στις 19/6/09.
Προς απογοήτευση μας στις 29/5/09 λάβαμε απαντητική επιστολή η οποία μας ανακοίνωνε την ειλλημένη από 27/5/09 απόφαση τους ότι δεν θα επιτρέψουν την χρήση όπου μαγιό είναι εκτός λίστας της FINA.

Την ίδια στιγμή μεγάλες Εθνικές Ομοσπονδίες, επιτελώντας το καθήκον τους απέναντι στους αθλητές τους, ανακοινώνουν την χρήση όλων των αγωνιστικών μαγιό στις εγχώριες διοργανώσεις τους και ακόμα περισσότερο επιτρέπουν στους αθλητές τους να συμμετάσχουν στα trials για το παγκόσμιο της Ρώμης με αυτά τα μαγιό. Οι Ομοσπονδίες αυτές είναι η Ιαπωνία, Ιταλία, Γαλλία και Αγγλία.

Οι παραπάνω ομοσπονδίες σεβάστηκαν την επένδυση των αθλητών τους και των οικογενειών τους, συνυπολόγισαν την σκληρή οικονομική κρίση που βιώνουμε όλοι μας, επέδειξαν την αρμόζουσα ευαισθησία παρουσιάζοντας ανθρώπινο πρόσωπο.

Σας θυμίζω ότι με αυτά τα μαγιό που δεν επιτρέπει σήμερα η ΚΟΕ αθλητές μας πρόσφατα έκαναν πανελλήνια ρεκόρ και έπιασαν το όριο συμμετοχής τους για το παγκόσμιο της Ρώμης.

Κλείνοντας αυτή την επιστολή θέλω κάποια στιγμή να λάβω απαντήσεις στα παρακάτω ερωτήματα που ταλανίζουν την πλειοψηφία των Ελλήνων κολυμβητών/τριών.

Γιατί κύριοι δεν συνυπολογίσατε ότι η τελική λίστα της FINA θα ανακοινωθεί στις 19/6/09 και υποχρεώνετε γονείς και αθλητές να επενδύσουν σε αγορά άλλου μαγιό εν’ όψει της Ημερίδας των Τσιτείων?

Τι θα πείτε σε όλους όσους ξοδέψουν χρήματα άνευ λόγου εάν στις 19/06/09 η FINA ενσωματώσει τα μαγιό στην λίστα της?

Που θα επηρέαζε η χρήση των μαγιό για τις εναπομείναντες εγχώριες διοργανώσεις?
Σκεφτήκατε καθόλου την ψυχολογία των αθλητών ?

Έπεται συνέχεια....

Σάκης Φωτόπουλος
df@swimmingplanet.com
www.swimmingplanet.com
www.swimmingplanet.blogspot.com

The Greek Swimming Federation (K.O.E.) Harmonize with FINA's list

" June 1st, the Greek Swimming Federation communicated its harmonization with FINA's list,constricting for local events all models which not listed in FINA's list"

Αριθ. πρωτ. 3664/Ε
Αθήνα 1 Ιουνίου 2009


Προς
Σωματεία – Μέλη ΚΟΕ
Περιφερειακές Επιτροπές
-------------------------------

Κύριε Πρόεδρε,

Όπως ίσως έχετε πληροφορηθεί, το τελευταίο διάστημα υπάρχει μεγάλη αναταραχή και συζητήσεις μεταξύ Ομοσπονδιών, παραγόντων, προπονητών κ.λ.π., σχετικά με το αν πρέπει να χρησιμοποιούνται από κολυμβητές-τριες τα μαγιό της νέας τεχνολογίας.
Με πρωτοβουλία της FINA και ύστερα από συσκέψεις της εκτελεστικής επιτροπής του Δ.Σ της FINA, της Τεχνικής Επιτροπής Κολύμβησης της FINA, της επιτροπής προπονητών της FINA, της επιτροπής αθλητών της FINA καθώς και του Νομικού Συμβούλου της FINA και μετά από εξέταση 348 διαφορετικών μαγιό από 21 κατασκευαστές, η εκτελεστική επιτροπή της FINA ενέκρινε τη χρησιμοποίηση των πιο κάτω μαγιό (βλ. συνημμένη κατάσταση) για τις αγωνιστικές εκδηλώσεις της. Η εν λόγω κατάσταση θα ισχύει μέχρι 31.12.2009.
Όσα μαγιό δεν συμπεριλαμβάνονται σε αυτήν την κατάσταση, δεν επιτρέπεται η χρησιμοποίησή τους.
Όπως θα διαπιστώσετε από τη συνημμένη κατάσταση, τα μαγιό που δεν επιτρέπονται είναι αυτά που είναι κατασκευασμένα εξολοκλήρου από Neopren.
Το Δ.Σ της ΚΟΕ στη συνεδρίασή του στις 27/5/09 αποφάσισε να εναρμονισθεί με την απόφαση αυτή.
Σας γνωρίζουμε λοιπόν ότι από 5.6.09 για όλες τις αγωνιστικές εκδηλώσεις εντός Ελλάδας θα επιτρέπεται η χρησιμοποίηση μόνο των μαγιό που αναφέρονται στην συνημμένη κατάσταση της FINA. Είναι αυτονόητο βέβαια ότι δεν υπάρχει περιορισμός για τα κλασσικά μαγιό.
Στους κολυμβητές-τριες που δεν θα φορούν μαγιό εγκεκριμένα, δεν θα επιτρέπεται η συμμετοχή τους στους αγώνες.
Για την τήρηση των πιο πάνω, υπεύθυνοι θα είναι οι Αλυτάρχες των αγώνων.


Για το Δ.Σ

Ο Γενικός Γραμματέας



ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΣΑΡΑΚΑΤΣΑΝΗΣ

blueseventy FINA approval dated 3rd June 2009

"Here is the last blueseventy's announcement for the swimwear approval rules to its swimsuits."

blueseventy has had no satisfactory response from FINA to its questions about the recent application of the swimwear approval rules to its swimsuits. blueseventy regards the existing decision-making as lacking a satisfactory basis in fact or law. Accordingly, and in the interests of the swimming fraternity and blueseventy’s loyal supporters and athletes it has now instructed lawyers in Europe to take the matter up with FINA directly and immediately.

Gold Medal Mel: The Swimsuit Controversy Continues

Here is an interesting article about the competitive swim suits controversy. The author makes some interesting comments regarding FINA'S decision based on "may cause ... air trapping" and the effect of this decision on the free market and market fairness.

The Swimsuit Controversy Continues
Blueseventy did not make the infamous FINA competitive swimsuit list. FINA's reason was subjective:

"While these swimsuits comply with the buoyancy values when tested in accordance with defined procedure, we note that this kind of construction MAY cause significant air trapping effects when worn by the swimmers."

"May?" May sounds gray. What scientific method did they use to arrive at "may"? (Did Jaked and Arena get the "may" answer as well?)

Whether FINA's method was scientific or not, National Governing Bodies around the globe are deciding whether or not to accept it. USA Swimming's Rules & Regulations Committee is doing just that. Based on the feedback I've gotten, USA Swimming is following FINA 100%. Japan, Italy and France are not. British Swimming is allowing the suits previously approved by FINA through September of '09. (The Brits are doing so to give the companies and the swimmers who have invested in the now banned suits, time to make changes and adjustments.)

Can the Brits, Japanese, Italians, and/or the French, really compete in suits which are not on the list? If they break world records, will the records count? What world record swims count that have been swum in the past, the ones broken in suits that are now not on the list?

I know, I know. It is very easy to get lost in this world with so much divided leadership.

The competitive swimsuit biz, marshaled by FINA, has become the wild, wild west. While I confess that I love the media circus it has caused and is causing, unfortunately FINA's actions right now will disrupt market fairness.

I know the introduction of new technology can get ugly, and I have compassion for the FINA folks at this time in history. HOWEVER, I always worry about market fairness, the ability of all players involved to make money. We need a vibrant market. We need lots of players.

Speaking from an Olympian's point of view, one who was once under contract at Speedo, I knew my value to them was based on my not endorsing some other swimsuit. During my time, the era of papersuits, Speedo was an fantastic partner. I valued our relationship. The money I earned supported my training. Without them I couldn't have continued competing.

I worry now about the world-class swimmers trying to make it, the ones on the edge, just out of the medal count. Often these swimmers become our new champions, and in 2009 they're more than likely post-graduates. They need a vibrant market. They need swimsuit manufacturers who need them. They need endorsement dollars to sustain their careers on the way to the Olympics.
The rub here is simple: FINA needs to be fair. They should've given swimsuit manufacturers, like Blueseventy, time to make changes before World Championship, the biggest meet of the year.
Sadly, FINA has not.
I could reference other swimsuit manufacturers, but I'm not. I'm referencing Blueseventy for one reason: I know Roque.

Roque Santos is an old teammate, my fellow Olympic alum from the 1992 Games in Spain. Roque is now (and has been) the man behind Blueseventy, the competitive swimsuit that nabbed a nice piece of the market share since last spring.

Rogue is good guy. Everybody know and loves Roque! From our '92 Class, he was the most popular swimmer, the easiest guy to get alone with.

I remember seeing Roque all last year. He had a grin on his face and car-trunk full of blue suits. "It's fast, Melvin. Just try it. You'll see." I tried it and liked it, but it meant little to me. I was doing it purely out of curiosity, to get some overall sense about the new technology.

What I saw Roque doing last year made me very proud. He was selling a great new product, and quickly Blueseventy became sort of an APPLE in a PC world. While Speedo saturated the market with splashy ads and flashy Olympic athlete appearances, Roque sold Blueseventy on the road to our grassroot swimming geeks.

"It's fast..." was his pitch alone, and it worked on the strength of his reputation and the product's results.

Watching '08 Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games, I saw a lot of Speedos, a few TYR suits and a surprising number of Blueseventies. Then US Masters Swimming partnered with Blueseventy, and soon a splashy sponsorship with an Olympic icon followed. Blueseventy had arrived. Roque had clearly done a great job!

For me, Roque did more than grab market share. He created a brand that could and would go on to support Olympic swimmers' careers.

I've saved this last part, though it's no big reveal. Blueseventy has been FINA approved for nearly two years. Now absent from the FINA list, Blueseventy is stuck trying to modify their product. Can they do it by World Trials? Can they do it by World Champs? It difficult to proceed with feedback from FINA like "may". Still I hope so, for Roque...and for every single world-class athlete.