'Suit wars are making a mockery of our sport' insists Foster

Published on Monday 29 June 2009 22:47

MARK Foster has compared the use of performance-enhancing bodysuits to steroids and claims they are making a "mockery" of swimming.

Over 100 world records have tumbled during the past year- and-a-half, most of them falling to competitors using the new fully-covered suits.

Fina, swimming's governing body, courted controversy last week when it approved the use of the modified technology at next month's World Championships in Rome. The decision has left swimmers scrambling to decide what brand or model they should select knowing that the wrong decision, or a lack of access to their desired suit, could cost them a medal.

Foster, a five-time British Olympian and eight-time world record-holder, believes recent developments have damaged the sport and robbed it of a level playing field. "The World Championships are now going to be the suit wars and it's taken the shine off swimming," he said.

"I want to see the sport go back to a pair of swimming trunks, but that will never happen because this has gone too far now. There's also too much money involved in the swimsuit manufacturers. To me these suits are the equivalent of steroids.

"Michael Phelps is the best swimmer in the world, but someone who is wearing a Jaked suit will beat him if he's using a Speedo suit, no shadow of a doubt. They are that effective.

"The men's 50 metres freestyle has improved by half-a-second. I tried for so many years to improve by 0.1 of a second. Put a new suit on and you can shave half a second off."

Foster, speaking at the launch of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week 2009, continued: "It's not about the swimmers, it's about the suits. The suits are making the difference and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Some people say they're good for swimming because it means world records are being broken all of the time, but I think they make a mockery of the sport.

"It's frustrating. Everyone likes swimming fast, but in these new suits fast times are not a reflection of how much you've improved. Swimmers have great bodies and that should be a way of promoting the sport. It's a healthy look that sees naked bodies on TV. But all of a sudden the swimmers now look like penguins."

Britain yesterday named their team for the World Championships, with seven Scots among the 40-strong party heading to Rome. Kris Gilchrist, Andrew Hunter, Robbie Renwick, Lewis Smith, David Carry, Caitlin McClatchey and Hannah Miley will all travel to Italy next month.

Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington is the biggest name in the team, which also includes the likes of Jo Jackson – whose 400m freestyle world record was reclaimed by Federica Pellegrini on Saturday – and fellow-Olympic medallists David Davies and Keri-Anne Payne, with three-time World Championship medallist and former world record-holder Liam Tancock also set for Italy.

"This team has a really good mixture of veterans and young, up-and-coming swimmers and that was our goal," said British Swimming head coach Dennis Pursley. "I'm looking forward to seeing some strong leadership from the veterans to begin the process of moulding together a tightly bonded team."