Wear it or not? Chinese swimmers hesitant on Speedo

As renowned international swimmers are breaking contracts and switching to Speedo, the revolutionary bodysuit seemed to fail to win the hearts of Chinese swimmers. Wear it or not? Twelve days before the Olympics, there is still no clear answer.

speedo, a sports brand specialized in swimming equipment

"Swimmers will wear the suits that they feel most comfortable with in the Olympics. It's hard to say whether it is Speedo LZR Racer or not," said Zhang Yadong, head coach of the Chinese national swimming team.

"It is not that we are switching suits. We just agreed to allow swimmers to choose their own suits," Zhang said.

The Chinese swimming team ended years of cooperation with Speedo after the Athens Games and switched to its current sponsor Nike. Swimmers were supposed to wear Nike Swift at the Beijing Olympics, according to the contract.

Following the splash made by the Speedo LZR Racer -- as of July 2, 2008, 45 out of 49 world records have been broken by swimmers wearing the suit -- Nike announced that it will allow its sponsored swimmers to don their own favorite suits.

"We appreciate Nike's support," Zhang said. But he also said that Chinese swimmers also broke several national records at Olympic trials in April wearing current suits.

Some Chinese swimmers have tried Speedo LZR Racer at a national youth swimming event in June, but their responses were not very enthusiastic. Xu Yanwei, who will compete in the 100 meters butterfly at the Olympics, said she didn't feel much difference by wearing Speedo.

Chinese swimmers have a tradition of being less warmhearted to Speedo's high-tech bodysuit.

China's former Olympic Champion Qian Hong once said that the full-body suit suits more to American and European swimmers than to Asians. She even complained that the suit didn't fit very well and might affect speed.

The LZR suit, designed with help from U.S. space agency NASA, keeps swimmers in a corset-like grip which is said to allow the swimmer to maintain the best body position in the water for longer and reduce drag.

Some reports have credited it with reducing swimming times by up to 2 percent, although Speedo officials said that is impossible to verify. Some say the advantages are as much psychological as physical.

Compared with other brands, Speedo's high-tech suits are made to order only for few top swimmers. Chinese swimmers could only choose from the suits provided by the Speedo.

"The effect of swimming suits is more psychological than physical," Qian was quoted by the Southern Metropolis Daily. "I don't think breaking world record has obvious connection with swimming suits."

China won four swimming gold medals in Olympics, all in women's events. China's head coach Zhang said earlier that there is no hope for China to win swimming gold at Beijing Games and the team is striving for a podium finish.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2008)