'blueseventy' CEO Steve Nicholls and Rowdy Gaines are upset with FINA and state the obvious!

After reading my post regarding the FINA materials specification for 2010, my friend and attorney, John Quinn, said it best: "Textiles have been around for a 1000-years and FINA can't even come up with a definition of what they are, Pathetic."

Steve Nicholls and Rowdy Gaines are just as mystified!

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.”