20 May 2009

Bernard's swimsuit not on approved FINA list

3:07 pm on 20 May 2009

The suit the Olympic champion Alain Bernard wore when breaking the 100 metres men's freestyle world record last month is missing from an approved list swimming's world governing body FINA has published.

And another swimsuit Frederick Bousquet wore when he broke the 50 metres freestyle world record at the same French Championships in April has also been rejected.

FINA decided reassess standards after most of the more than 100 world records in the last 18 months were set by swimmers wearing new polyurethane-covered suits which aid buoyancy.

The French federation says the suits will be banned there pending further clarifications from FINA which reviewed 348 swimsuits from 21 manufacturers.

It approved 202, failed 10 for not passing tests of buoyancy and/or thickness, and said the rest need to be modified.