Do clothes make the man?

April 17, 2008

Over the years there has been many a controversy over athletes using some sort of external assistance to help them get the edge over their opponent. For instance, I’ve heard that some of the players seeking to win the Superbowl will coat their uniform with non-stick cooking spray. This makes it difficult for an opponent to grab hold. And baseball players have been known to hide a dab of petroleum jelly in the brim of their hat to help them throw a killer spit ball.

However, recently the water’s gotten a little murky where the rules of fairness are concerned. In response to complaints from other runners, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has banned Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee, from participating in the Beijing Olympics. The IAAF says his prosthetic racing limbs, called Cheetah feet, give him a “clear competitive advantage.”

Drug abuse in sports has made the headlines on more than a few occasions. The 409-page Mitchell report identifies 86 major league players for their use, in varying degrees, of performance enhancing drugs.

And now swim suit manufacturer Speedo is in the midst of its own hullabaloo. The company claims its new LZR racer swimming suit is able to shave as much as 2% off of race times. Some people are calling for the suit to be banned from the Olympics. But others say it’s too late, as the suit has already been worn to qualify for the games.

The world’s fastest swimmer, Croatia's Duje Draganja, says he was skeptical about the swim suit’s alleged powers, even though he wore the suit when he broke the 50-m freestyle world record in Manchester. Dragania says, “Fast swimmers are fast swimmers. That will always be the case, suit or no suit."

Maybe it’s time to revert to the ways of the original Olympics and have all the athletes that participate in the games to do so in the buff. At least it will keep people from bickering over what’s fair or not.

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