Innovation
19 May 2008
Innovation in Sports Technology -- Inevitable or Unfair?
Controversies flare over Flex-Foot and Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit
Washington – Today, controversies abound about the use of technology in sports. With the rapid advances in sports science, prosthetics and artificial materials, the question of what is legitimate and what gives the user “unfair advantage” is likely to occur with increasing frequency.
Two recent examples of controversial innovations in sports are Ossur’s Cheetah Flex-Foot and the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit. Cheetah lower limb prosthetics has enabled double amputee Paralympics runners like Oscar Pistorius to compete with able-bodied runners. (See Cheetah Flex-Foot and Van Phillips, Prosthetics Designer.)
The LZR Racer swimsuit has been used in virtually all world-record-breaking swims since its release in February.
The LZR swimsuit has been allowed at the Olympics. Ossur’s Cheetah Flex-Foot originally was forbidden, but the regulating authority’s decision was overturned May 16. Both cases are still hotly debated in the sports circles.
THE SUIT DOES NOT SWIM ALONE
It used to be simple. In the ancient Greek Olympics, the athletes competed in the nude, hence there were no conflicts over what shoes, shorts or swimsuit an athlete could wear. Probably in part because of the nudity, the ancient Olympics was a “men only” event, with women banned not only from competing in but also from watching the games.
Today’s Olympics has both sexes participating, but with the proliferation of various types of swimsuits, sneakers and other implements, the International Olympic Committee and other sports-governing bodies must rule on which sports innovations should or should not be allowed.
The LZR Racer has created a controversy in part because of issues of fairness. Engineered with the assistance of NASA, the suit helps to minimize the wearer’s “drag,” which is caused by the friction of a swimmer's body against the water. Bodysuits are not new -- they debuted in the 2000 Sydney, Australia, Olympics to mixed reviews -- but today, records regularly are being broken by new LZR Racer swimsuit wearers. Is this a mark of better swimming, or better swimsuits?
There would be no problem if all Olympic swimmers swam in LZR Racers. Unfortunately, that is not possible. For example, some in the German team, which is contractually bound to wear Adidas suits in the Olympics, have grumbled about not being able to wear the LZR swimsuit. An LZR also costs around $500-$550, which may be too expensive for some athletes.
In the end, there is no escaping innovation, and some champions insist it is not innovation that breaks world records. In an interview with the Associated Press, German swimmer Britta Steffen, who will not be wearing the LZR swimsuit, said, "With all this discussion, people shouldn't forget the suit doesn't swim alone. Inside is a person that has a good or bad day, and trained well or badly."
DISABILITY AS ADVANTAGE
The Cheetah Flex-Foot presents an even more complicated matter. The prosthetic has been designed not to boost able-bodied persons’ performance but to allow lower-limb amputees to enjoy activities that involve running. Some claim, however, that it actually gives amputees an advantage over able-bodied competitors.
At the center of the controversy is Oscar Pistorius, a South African double amputee who has set numerous Paralympics world records in the 100-, 200- and 400- meter runs and wants to run in the regular Olympics. His application was denied by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the governing body for track and field events. The IAAF quoted an independent scientific study that showed Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able-bodied sprinters of similar potential based on their physiology -- but with about 25 percent less energy expenditure. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland, overruled the decision May 16.
Both disputes have been over fairness, but the Speedo LZR swimsuit debate likely will be sorted out when all athletes have access to swimsuits of LZR’s capabilities. The fight about the Speedo swimsuit may be similar to an earlier one about a shoe designed by the Nike Company under co-founder William Bowerman. (See “Track Coach Makes Faster Shoe, Stumbles into Big Business.”)
Today, due to the shoe wars -- the fierce competition for market share among athletic shoe companies -- innovation by other companies, like Reebok and Adidas, has kept pace with Nike and allowed runners to have a level playing field.
It is much harder to foresee long-term consequences of the dilemma highlighted by the Pistorius dispute. It is inspiring that a disabled athlete will be able to compete as an equal with able-bodied athletes, but the implements he uses never will become standard equipment of able-bodied athletes. It is possible that as advances in prosthetics continue, people with artificial limbs will become stronger and faster than the able-bodied. Should they be excluded from regular events, this time as “super-abled”?
One thing is certain: regardless of the outcome of the controversies, innovation in sports technology will go on and sports-governing bodies will have to set and change rules concerning these advances.
