According to an article on Telegraph.co.uk, “Swimmers are to be put through ‘barcode’ tests to make sure that their hi-tech racing suits are not giving them an unfair advantage at the world championships in Rome.” Telegraph continues, by explaining that the swimmers will be scanned before they get in the water to ensure they are wearing the suit they said they would.
This procedure will eliminate the last minute swapping of suits to try to gain an advantage.
My reaction? “Hmmm”, it sounds like an extra hassle but it would certainly be a way for officials to know for a fact that a swimmer is in the same suit they were in earlier. “Barcode” is in quotes in the Telegraph article, so it’s unclear if they mean to actually scan the swimsuits with a barcode reader to ensure they are the same. This is the first time I am hearing about this procedure, but my imagination is already picturing FINA barcode scanners in the hands of officials on deck.
At the World Championships, it is highly unlikely that a swimmer would swap a suit out for a never-before-seen (and unapproved) design as they might have done in a Grand Prix or International meet. There’s just too much on the line, and too much red tape piling up around the pool to risk it. There’s no way a new suit design would go un-noticed with the recent high level scrutiny.
