The Beijing Olympic Games have set a new standard for athletics as more than 35 world records have been shattered so far. However, athletes say they can't take all the credit as sportswear technology has made them faster, lighter and as some critics suggest -- luckier.
There's been much debate over the new Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer swimsuit, the premier choice for Canada's Olympic swim team.
"It actually makes you float. It feels like you're getting ready to take off," said Canadian swimmer Rick Say said of Speedo's space age technology. "It's really become like the star of swimming right now."
NASA scientists helped design the material. The suit's manufacturer studied how fish move under water and observed more than 400 of the world's top swimmers.
ANSYS Inc. an American company that works out of Waterloo, Ont. engineered software that mimics the way water flows over a swimsuit and a swimmer's body.
Speedo says the suit helps improve oxygen intake and helps streamline the swimmer's body.
In countries where sports are under funded, having the latest in sportswear is more of an unfathomable luxury rather than an absolute necessity.
While there is new technology that makes running shoes as light as a feather, there are athletes from countries like Iraq who are competing in second-hand shoes because it is all they can afford.
Many athletes and coaches, from Australia to France, have called the technological edge unfair.
One Olympic visitor from Czech Republic said it's only good for the wealthy.
"It's not so fair in my opinion because It's very expensive technology it's for a rich country," he told Â鶹´«Ã½.
However, some sports manufacturers are trying to level the competition by donating footwear to underprivileged nations.
"It's a little bit like a racecar," said Sean McDowell, Nike's creative designer. "You've got an amazing engine and we're the tires."
But critics say the goodwill of some is not enough to level the playing field across the board.
The debate on sportswear technology was fuelled by the remarkable performance of swimmers at this year's Games. Michael Phelps, the American swimmer who not only broke world records but won eight gold medals in Bejing, was wearing the celebrated Speedo throughout the competition.
Even his coach couldn't give all the credit to the enormously talented athlete.
"They had an impact," said Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach in an interview with the Canadian Press. "I think it's hard to tell because this pool is bullet fast. I don't think you can say the suits made everyone faster. They certainly contributed."
But not everyone agreed.
Alan Thompson, the head coach of the Australian swim team, dismissed the notion.
"Negligible," he said. "Everyone has got them. They made no impact."
Michael Scott, an Australian consultant to the British swim team, said it's simplistic to say the $500 suits alone are responsible for the athletes' success.
"I believe technology has played a role," he said. "But if you think it's 100 per cent attributable to the performance movement in swimming, then you are underestimating the work the coaches and the swimmers put in."
However, Canadian silver-medal swimmer Ryan Cochrane agreed that at the very least, the suit provides a psychological edge.
"You put on a suit that you know has broken so many world records, you are going to be fast," said the Victoria native. "To break that many records there has to be technology."
With a report from Â鶹´«Ã½' Steve Chao and files from The Canadian Press
