The Board of ASA has been in discussion for most of the year in regards to the use of Technical Swim Suits by Junior Swimmers.
After much deliberation and research, the Board of ASA has decided to restrict the use of Technical Swim Suits by competitors 12 years of age and under at ALL Auckland Championship, Level and Club meets.
This restriction will take effect as from 01st July 2018.
Technical suits will still be able to be worn by ASA 12/U swimmers at SNZ meets i.e. Junior Festival, Div II and NAGS.
A Technical Swim Suit is one that has bonded seams, kinetic tape or meshed seams.
Only swim suits that have all stitched seams will be permitted to be worn.
Swimming Victoria and Southern California have both introduced Tech Suit restrictions for Junior Swimmers and NCAA has also restricted the use of Tech Suits at dual college meets. Other regions in New Zealand are also in discussions around this.
Our sport is already expensive to participate in and the cost of technical suits makes them unattainable for many families. We do not want to add any extra financial pressure on parents with unnecessary purchases.
Technical swim suits are not designed for young swimmers. The manufacturers design these suits for older athletes. One of the main benefits of wearing a technical suit is for muscle compression. Children, who are not yet developed, are not impacted by this benefit. Swimmers cannot ‘grow into’ these suits.
Our aim is to build mentally-strong swimmers, confident in their own ability and training ethic rather than an athlete depending on a technical suit to get an improved result. There is no documented evidence that supports performance benefits of technical suits for athletes 12 years and under.
Further information and detail will come out in the New Year.
