USA Swimming clarified the confusion surrounding the allowable swimsuits for its upcoming National Open Water Swimming Championships and National Team Trials in Long Beach, California.

Effective June 1, 2010, the rules regarding swimsuits allowable for USA Swimming sanctioned or approved open water events are as follows:

1. Any suits included on the currently published list of FINA approved suits, which is posted on the Rules & Regulations page of the USA Swimming website and on the FINA website, are allowable. These are the same suits allowed for pool swimming.

2. In addition, for open water competition only, suits for both men and women may extend to the ankle and may cover the shoulder. However, they must not cover the neck, extend past the shoulders or below the ankle. Because of this increased coverage allowed for open water competition, these suits will not be included on the FINA list of approved suits, but are allowable as long as they meet the other requirements of being made of full textile material with no zippers or fasteners.

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