Swimming: Foster follows suit

Five-time Olympian supports regulations of new swimsuits

By Ally Fisher   Last updated: 10th December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

<b>Swimming: </b>Foster follows suit

Adlington and Foster: Support new regulations

I think it's really healthy for the sport to go back to almost where it began, it will go back to being about the swimmer and not about the suit.

Mark Foster
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Five-time Olympian Mark Foster has joined Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington and world record holder Liam Tancock in welcoming the imminent introduction of new swimsuit regulations.

Since the introduction of the Speedo LZR in February 2008, more than 230 world records have been set with 43 coming in the space of a week at last summer's World Championships in Rome.

Performances were further enhanced when Arena and Jaked took technology further with the 100 per cent polyurethane suits resulting in increased buoyancy and endurance.

Michael Phelps' coach Bob Bowman threatened to withdraw the 14-time Olympic champion from competitions if changes were not established.

This forced FINA to act ruling that from January1, 2010 all suits will be textile only with far less coverage of the body.

Healthy

Foster believes that the ruling will allow swimmers to compete like for taking the sport back to its origins.

He said: "It was making good swimmers great swimmers and the great swimmers will remain great swimmers.

"Michael Phelps will still be the best in the world in a pair of shorts.

"I think it's really healthy for the sport to go back to almost where it began, it will go back to being about the swimmer and not about the suit.

"We started in briefs, the smallest you could get into, and then we went to as much as you could put on."

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