blueseventy committed to swimming

29 July 2009

blueseventy committed to swimming

blueseventy has confirmed it is fully committed to a long term involvement to swimming,
following the FINA announcement yesterday, Tuesday 28th July, that swimmers must return to
more traditional suits from next year.

However, the date of the change over is yet to be defined, and manufactures remain in the dark
about the exact definition of textile suits. Permeability will be a key issue as swimmers return to
shorts (above the knee and up to the navel) for men and suits from the knee to the neck for
women, with no zips.

Ceo, Steve Nicholls said: “We’ve been amazed at the way in which we've been supported by
swimmers and the swimming fraternity, and are committed to returning that support through a
long term swimming program. While we accept there is a need for change, we still have major
concerns over the nature of the changes, in particular, we don’t understand why there is no
parity between male and female swimmers, in terms of coverage, and we’re frustrated that
definitive guidelines on fabrics will not be available until the end of September.”

“The commercial implications of this decision should not be overlooked. Our technical direction
and design plans hinge on the types of fabrics that will be permitted. We know suits can only be
0.8mm thick, but we'd prefer to have more details in order to design the best possible suit that
swimmers will want to wear. However, the limited time period for development will suit a brand
like us that is able to move quickly."

Three-time Olympic Champion Rowdy Gaines is concerned that yesterday’s announcement will
be detrimental to the sport. “I think the bodysuit is great for the sport. It gets the average person
to talk about our sport and it gets people involved who maybe would not have done so. People
love to see fast swimming.”

He added: “Many other sports are greatly influenced by technology, everything from motor
racing to golf and tennis. I fear that young age group swimmers will be lost to the sport because
they can’t achieve the times they have done previously in a bodysuit. I also worry that casual
fans will fade away when there’s no longer a frenzy of world records.”

As well as having a loyal following amongst pool swimmers, blueseventy was the first brand to
design a suit specifically for open water racing. The Nero 10k suit was worn by Olympic
Champion, Maarten vd Weijden in Beijing last year and by medal winners in World
Championships events last week. All versions of the blueseventy swimskin were approved even
before the Speedo LZR racer and have been in wide circulation ever since.

Steve Nicholls added: “There’s an argument that open water suits should fall under separate
guidelines. Open water swimming is the sports newest Olympic discipline and swimmers and
coaches need to have a voice in shaping its development, including the type of swimwear that is
to be allowed. It is also undertaken in a variety of different conditions, and just from a safety
perspective one could argue that different applications of these rules could apply.”