BBC SPORT | Olympics | Fina cracks down on hi-tech suits.

“Fina wishes to recall the main and core principle is that swimming is a sport essentially based on the physical performance of the athlete,” said a statement from swimming’s world governing body.

The first swimsuit to combine stitch-free, ultrasonically welded seams, water-resistant fabric and strategically-placed polyurethane panels (designed by Nasa), the LZR took the swimming world by storm last year.

At the Olympics in Beijing, LZR swimmers, most notably Michael Phelps, won 94% of the golds on offer and broke 23 of the 25 records set in the Cube.

But opponents of the hi-tech suits argue the buoyancy they create amounts to “technological doping”.

Aaaaand we are all cyborgs, no?  The concept of ‘technological doping’ is interesting, problematic, and fascinating.  I guess it’s the recognition that chemicals aren’t the only way an athlete can enhance their performance that grabbed me about this.  It’s a preview of a very real problem that’s only going to continue as we intertwine our bodies with technology more and more intimately.

Centenarian athletes and aged porn stars: the tip of Japan’s demographic iceberg – Times Online.