By: Jessie Liang

Is there any equipment and gear banned from the Olympic games? Of course! But just not what you think—swimsuits! Yes, you heard me right, swimsuits, not regular ones, but high-tech, polyurethane fabric, speedy ones. Isn’t being speedy great in competitions? Why are they banned? What makes these swimsuits so fast and “tech” that they must be controlled?

The Fastskin LZR swimsuit is one of the many of those banned starting when?, but what really makes the swimsuit is the material. The LZR swimsuit’s material is made from polyurethane, an extremely flexible and water-resistant material that gives the swimmer extra buoyancy which makes the swimmer float better in the water. The pattern and science of the Speedo LZR is called fast skin. The suit is idea comes from sharkskin, which has tiny sharp teeth like skin shapes that allow it to glide through water freely.

Made of Teflon Coalted lyra, this suit reduces 10% of water resistance and allows the swimmer to glide through water more easily. But how was Speedo able to make such tech swimsuits? All thanks to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which partnered with Speedo, a swim equipment brand, to produce this swimsuit. Due to NASA’s space experience, the LZR was made highly lightweight and reduced 24% more skin friction than previous swimsuits.

According to Dogonews, the company Speedo, asserts that since 2019, athletes wearing Fastskin LZR suits have broken 52 percent of all individual swimming world records. But most governing bodies in most countries banned them in January 2010 why, just because of one reason, it was unfair to others. The athletes are there to test and compete their actual real strength and power, not how great a product is, then the Olympic Games should be called the “Products”, not the Games. Now Speedo swimwear uses elastane, polyester, and nylon.

And that is how and why the LZR swimsuit is banned in the Olympics, but what do you think of this banning?