EVANSTON, Ill., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Certain high-tech swimsuits, now banned, were responsible for some top-flight competitive swimming performances in 2009, U.S. researchers say.
A study from Northwestern University Medicine highlights how the full-body, polyurethane swimsuits artificially enhanced athletic performance in 2009, a university release said Monday.
The suits, banned by the Federation Internationale de Natation in 2010, were suspected of reducing drag, improving buoyancy, compressing the muscles and other artificial enhancing properties, researchers said.
"Our data strongly indicate that it was more than just hard work that allowed athletes to set the unprecedented 43 world records during the 2009 world championships," study author Lanty O'Connor said. "The swimsuits played a significant role."
The study analyzed competition data from 1990 to 2010 and compared improvements in swimming to improvements in track and field, a similar sport.
The analysis concluded the high-tech swimsuits were the primary reason for the improved performances in 2009, and banning them is significantly linked to overall slower swim times since the beginning of 2010.
"It would be unfair to discredit the dedication and training of these athletes and their coaches, because this certainly played a role in improved performance over the past several decades," O'Connor said.
"But many, including FINA, had a strong suspicion that these suits were artificially enhancing performance. Now, nearly two years later, we have the data to show a strong correlation between the use of these suits and improved race times."
