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Ready to swim out of their shark skins

Catriona Purcell & Matthew Moore, The Age, 18 March 2000

It is sleek, grey and makes you feel like a shark. But three of Australia's leading swimmers are confident the new swimsuits for the Sydney Olympics will not bite back if they win a medal wearing one.

Michael Klim, Susie O'Neill and Matthew Dunn dismissed concerns the tight full-length suits would cost them a medal, at the unveiling of Speedo's Fastskin suit at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre yesterday.

But they said they would not wear the new technology if it meant risking an Olympic gold medal. After a couple of laps in the centre's diving pool Klim said: "If it's illegal, I won't wear it."

The president of the Australian Olympic Committee, Mr John Coats stepped up his criticism of the suits, warning they could lead to court challenges to Olympic team selection of any Australians wearing them in the May selection trials.

"I think this is very relevant for the forthcoming Australian Championships on May 17 or 20 where one and two will make the team. We could have a protest from No. 3, who did not have the opportunity to wear a body suit, or from any swimmer at the trials," Mr Coates said.

"So I would like to try and clear this up and know for certain that if we allow bodysuits to be used the athletes are not going to be at risk of disqualification."

Mr COats said the world swimming body, FINA, needed to explain exactly how it approved the suits within its rules and he called on it to provide details of its technical tests of the suits.

Unless it did so, he would consider going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport with Australian Swimming to seek an advisory opinion on the legality of the suits.

But yesterday Speedo's marketing director, Mr Tim Lees, said FINA had approved the suits that were "merely evolution" of the Aquablade suits worn by 77 per cent of medal winners at Atlanta in 1996.

Klim said he had no qualms about wearing the suit as it had FINA approval and all competitors had the opportunity to wear it.