There have been few issues in swimming in recent times, beyond doping, that have stirred as much passion in the swimming community as the new generation of suits, at the helm of which is the Speedo LZR Racer worn by those who have set 11 world records since February 16 this year.

FINA has approved the suits for use in competition but there are issues outstanding. In Manchester at the World short-course Championships, the international federation will meet suit makers. On the agenda are two principle issues: the thickness of the material and the availability of the suit(s).

Coaches have led calls for a better approval process. Independent laboratory testing of garments has been suggested as a way forward. FINA is cautious of taking that path.

Executive Director of FINA, Cornel Marculsecu, told SwimNews: 'There is no scientific test to show that any suit is supporting performance. The data given by the suit makers has much more to do with marketing than science. All of this discussion is helpful to promoting and selling suits.

'We have procedures and rules in place but in Manchester we will discuss the thickness of the suit. There are concerns about suits being like triathlon suits, which are thicker. There are buoyancy issues. We have to review this. But there is no scientific test to say if a suit supports performance.

'The number one priority is that all suits are made available to everyone at the moment of launch. This is an obligation of the suit makers and it is already contained in the rules.'

Marculescu noted a list of sports, including soccer and golf, where equipment has been introduced to improve the lot and performance of athletes. Swimming, he noted, has just a cap, goggles and a suit. Wool to silk to Nylon to Lycra and so forth. There has always been improvement in suits, progress that has been deemed to have played a part in producing swifter times. And part of that is a placebo effect: feel good, look great, swim fast.

'Its great that we are all discussing this and it brings swimming to wider attention. But let's be more realistic about what is the true impact of a suit on the performance of the swimmer. Of course, things get better in time. It has always been the case but the priority is that any innovation should be available to everybody.'

Speedo has a problem: the suit is not available to all. I tried to buy one on the Speedo website. I couldn't. I was invited to send my details on a 'pre-order' form. I received an e-mail from a world top 10 swimmer who wants to get hold of the suit, had contacted Speedo but was told that he would have to wait 'possibly until June' before a suit could be made available. Not much use if his Olympic trials are next month.

The LZR Racer retails at £320.00 for the full body version.

The issue of thickness of some of the panels and strips on the suit has been a talking points at the European Championships, where some swimmers have been seen wearing two Arena R-Evolution suits in training for extra support.

Progress in the pool has been widepread and has not only come from swimmers in the LZR Racer. There have been myriad national records, victories and personal bests in Eindhoven from swimmers wearing Arena, Tyr and Adidas, for example.

However, there can be no escaping the fact that all 11 world records broken since February 16 have been established by swimmers wearing the LZR Racer. Perhaps that will change in the coming weeks as Olympic trials season deepens.