Can a Speedo Really Break Olympic Records?

Designed with the help of NASA, a new high-tech swimsuit from Speedo is causing a lot of buzz in Olympic swim circles. The LZR Racer swimsuit is apparently so amazing that U.S Head Coach Marc Schubert claims every standing Olympic swim record will be broken because of it. Speedo states the suit makes swimmers “go two percent faster.”

Two percent faster is a lot in the Olympics. Referred to by some as “technological doping,” the suit apparently gives the wearer a significant performance edge. Opponents of the suit say it’s more buoyant than other suits and that’s not fair — especially to those swimmers not sponsored by Speedo. Other sponsors, like Nike and Arena, have failed to come up with an equivalent to the LZR Racer.

Says one so disadvantaged swimmer, in an article on CNN, “We’re at a big disadvantage,” she said. “I think we all need to have the same (type of) suit at the Olympics, and Arena is working on it. But they (our sponsors) have got to hurry. We’re behind.”

Another swimmer had this to say: “It’s not a matter of technology,” Rosolino said. “The matter is one suit has much more flotation. If I were to go out there in a scuba suit it wouldn’t be fair either. There’s something not right about it.

There’s no doubt Speedo makes excellent racing swimsuits. But does the LZR Racer Speedo provide an advantage or an unfair edge? That’s up for debate — the buoyancy factor hasn’t been proven scientifically.

One thing’s for sure, there are strong feelings on both sides. Unless every swimmer wears the LZR in Beijing, there’s no doubt the swimsuit will be a source of contention at the races.

What do you think? Should everyone wear the suit or no one at all?