MEASUREMENT OF DRAG TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF SWIM SUITS

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effect of different suits on drag for Olympic level swimmers. The effect on drag for some suits were with 5-7% rather large given the small differences observed in competitive time during Olympic finals. It is also found that the same suit may have a drag reducing effect for one swimmer while for the other no or a detrimental effect on drag is observed. Apparently, the simple reasoning to create a level playing field for all swimmers that one suit must be available for all is not as simple as the present FINA rules suggest.