'It’s swimsuit doping!'

[Taro Toporific]

Swimming: Japanese coach urges swimsuit war at Olympics
Macau Daily Times - AFP-Saturday, 26 April 2008--A Japanese Olympic swimming coach on Thursday urged domestic makers to rival Speedo’s record-breaking swimsuit…”It’s swimsuit doping,” Norimasa Hirai, who coaches defending double Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima and others, quoted one of his charges as saying of the LZR Racer [Speedo’s swimsuit]….Japanese Olympic swimmers are obliged by the national federation to wear products supplied on contract by one of three Japanese makers ― Mizuno, Asics and Descente ― at the Beijing Games…more…

[Catoneinutica]

("We only use Japanese makers") plus

(Japanese makers lack the latest technology) =

Poetic muhfuckin' justice!

[2triky]

That guy is trippin'...as if Japanese swimsuit makers could even make a comparable suit in the time left until the Summer Games...I'm sure Speedo invested considerable time and money in their R&D efforts for the LZR. It's not as if they whipped it out on an Etch-a-sketch.

What an aho.

[Midwinter]

As if they were going to stand a chance against the American and Australian swim teams anyway.

[2triky]

Originally Posted by Midwinter

As if they were going to stand a chance against the American and Australian swim teams anyway.

Good point.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Japanese denied 'high-tech doping' Speedos

Shiori Ogawa rose from obscurity in March by setting a Japanese junior high school swimming record in the women's 800-meter freestyle. But much of the attention was focused on her outfit. Ogawa was wearing a high-tech swimsuit developed by British sportswear maker Speedo International Ltd. The success of international competitors using Speedo outfits has been so astounding that Speedo's rivals are calling the swimwear "high-tech doping." Whether the swimsuit gives an unfair advantage is open for debate. But swimmers on Japan's Olympic team will not get the chance to find out first-hand. They are under contract to wear swimsuits produced by three domestic makers...Of 37 world swimming records set so far this year, 35 were by swimmers wearing the Speedo swimsuits...Since the tie-up between Mizuno and Speedo ended last year, Japanese makers have faced growing demands from top swimmers to develop original technology. But Japanese swimwear designers say they have already run out of technological ideas...more...

[Tsuru]

Right, no more swimsuits.

[Greji]

Originally Posted by Tsuru

Right, no more swimsuits.

Hehehe. I hope your right....(leers at the monitor in anticipation of the swiming events!)

[Behan]

That would kind of make it like women's water polo.

There were some pics of this on Google images but perhaps they aren't appropriate on FG.

[Mulboyne]

Australian: Japan enters race to make world's fastest swimsuit

A JAPANESE fabric maker says it has made the world's fastest swimsuit to rival Speedo's record-breaking LZR Racer suit. Japan's Olympic swimmers, obliged to wear their own country's products, have been in uproar over the LZR Racer, going as far as to liken its use to doping because of the advantage it gives wearers. Now Japan's Yamamoto Corp., which has supplied a super-fast synthetic rubber fabric to wetsuit makers around the world, has come to the rescue with the Olympic Games just three months away. The company has offered material, called the Biorubber Swim-SCS Fabric, to challenge Britain's Speedo, saying it is the "the world's fastest swimwear material." "The decision is not aimed at all at business. It's aimed at helping Japanese swimmers fight to their heart's content in fair conditions at the Beijing Olympics," said the company's president, Tomizo Yamamoto. The rubber maker said it has sent samples to Japan's three main sporting attire makers -- Mizuno, Asics and Descente. The Japan Swimming Federation has given the three until May 30 to come up with an upgrade to counter Speedo.

The federation requires its swimmers, who include Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima, only to wear products by one of the three companies. Yamamoto's fabric is coated with synthetic rubber that absorbs water molecules into its honeycomb surface, unlike most other materials which repel them. Its surface is smoothed out with water molecules to minimise frictional resistance. Japan has set a goal of winning a total of five medals at the Olympics in August across all disciplines, including in the pool. But Japanese swimmers have been alarmed by the LZR Racer since its debut in February, with the suit accounting for 18 of the 19 new world records since then. "We want to erase fears among the swimmers. We have requested the three companies to match Speedo," said Kazuo Sano, the swimming federation's executive director. Tomiaki Fukuda, chief of the Japanese delegation to the Beijing Games, lashed out at other sports leaders for limiting the choice to Japanese brands. "Why can't we use the (Speedo) swimsuit when we know it's fast," Fukuda shouted at a recent meeting, according to media reports.

Yamamoto said its Biorubber fabric has already been used, primarily for triathlon events. In October, swimwear by New Zealand brand Blue Seventy which used the fabric was approved by the international swimming federation FINA for its official meets, he said. Other suit makers, including Xterra of the United States, Australia's 2XU, Aquaman of France and New Zealand's Orca have also adopted the material, Yamamoto said. Five collegiate swimmers at Japan's Kansai University shaved their times by 1.0-2.0 seconds in 50 metres after switching to the Biorubber Swim fabric, he said.

The LZR Racer was developed with the help of the US space agency NASA. It uses a high-tech fabric of water-resistant polyurethane and is structured to squeeze the swimmer's body into the right posture. FINA endorsed its use last month. When Japanese Olympic swimmers tested the LRZ Racer last month, one of them improved his time for the first 15 metres by 0.7 seconds, said swimming federation official Norimasa Hirai. "I can imagine that in general the (Speedo) product means a difference of 0.5 seconds over 100 metres and one second over 200 metres," Hirai said. All three Japanese makers said they would consider the Yamamoto fabric. "Yamamoto's is one of our options," said Mizuno spokesman Fumihiko Sawai. "We are definitely prepared to produce the best available."