BillTheBinMan 0 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 The headline made me laugh The deeply competitive world of downhill skiing is being rocked by a heated dispute about plastic underwear and whether wearing such garments on the slopes gives racers an unfair aerodynamic advantage over their rivals. The row erupted last week when the Slovenian skier Tina Maze finished second at a major Austrian event only to be accused afterwards of wearing banned plastic undergarments which might have given her an edge over her competitors. The charges prompted the Swiss Skiing Federation to lodge a complaint with its parent body, the International Skiing Federation (FIS). Maze tried to make light of the affair – "My underwear is obviously too sexy for the Swiss," she retorted – but her underclothing was subjected to a rigorous examination all the same. Yet the FIS verdict was by no means conclusive. It ruled that Maze's undersuit met the strict air permeability rules for such garments laid down in the regulations. But FIS added that the garment also contained a membrane which "could be considered a form of plastic", a material banned under the rules. The body concluded that, although Maze's suit was permissible, "it is recommended that the one-piece undergarment not be used by any athletes in competition." However, it added that the ruling was based on evidence that her garment might be bad for the skin. The row is the latest dispute to cloud the ultra competitive sport, a discipline in which winning is often a question of a hundredth of a second. Speed suit fabrics and wax types are already constantly modified. Now underwear appears to have become the new battleground for racing regulators. Beside health concerns, there are suspicions that as some air passes through a skier's outer clothing, underwear that further reduces resistance could deliver an advantage. "The question is: is it the underwear?" Sasha Rearick, the United States men's ski team coach told The New York Times. Last weekend, Günter Hujara, the men's race director for FIS, chose the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel, where a World Cup skiing event will be held shortly, for a meeting with skiing coaches at which he waved a piece of blue plastic skiing underwear around in the air. He is then reported to have said: "If we see something like this, we will not hesitate to disqualify immediately." It has since emerged that Mr Hujara was brandishing a men's skiing undergarment consisting of a full-bodied plastic neoprene hybrid sheath which can be worn under a standard speed suit. These kind of undersuits, which are slightly different from Maze's garment, came to the attention of FIS officials at a race in Italy in December when members of the Italian team were seen wearing them. However, the race was cancelled because of bad weather and the Italian coach insisted that his athletes never competed in them. Competition ski coaches were meeting in Kitzbühel yesterday in an attempt to resolve the dispute and obtain a conclusive ruling from the FIS. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 "Besides health concerns"..... I'd like to know what health concerns there are. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Idiots Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I wonder if naked skiing would be even more 'aerodynamic'? http://www.snowjapanforums.com/index.php/topic/18009-nutters-part-3424-naked-skiers-snowboarders/page__fromsearch__1 Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hey Pie eater.....Would you call that a beef cake then? Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hmmm, not sure. The hat kind of makes him look a bit silly, don't you think? Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Well, they say you do lose the most body heat from the head so while obviously distracting.... it is practical I guess... Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 hard to believe this story, but I am going to buy some for the kids next race Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 "Beside health concerns, there are suspicions that as some air passes through a skier's outer clothing, underwear that further reduces resistance could deliver an advantage. "The question is: is it the underwear?" Sasha Rearick, the United States men's ski team coach told The New York Times." Plenty of air passes through my underwear. It is only a disadvantage to those who stand too close. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 "Besides health concerns"..... I'd like to know what health concerns there are. her undies (sorry I can't find the spoiler button!!) Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan 178 Posted January 20, 2012 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted January 20, 2012 Yikes, that's really not very nice is it. I did that for you Tubby. You need to put spoiler and /spoiler both in square brackets before and after the image. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 phew...thanks David!! Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Don't click "show" Don't do it ever Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I would also like to see a " this image may offend people with delicate dispositions" disclaimer under the spoiler button Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I'm sure there are more than a few twisted skebe oyaji with a hankering for those undies.. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Never understood the hand-wringing over competition sportswear, whether it be skiing underwear, swim suits, ski jumping suits, or whatever. Let anybody wear whatever they want -- if some kind of outfit confers an advantage, everybody will adopt it. Otherwise, if you really want just the differences in physical condition and training to determine the outcome, then just designate some particular brand as the only official one (and only one brand of ski, one brand of snowboard, one type of wax, etc.). All seems kind of silly. Link to post Share on other sites
kokodoko 67 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 i want some wetsuit material undies because i get a wet bum from the chairlifts.. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 if they were gnarly, they'd compete butt naked Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Never understood the hand-wringing over competition sportswear, whether it be skiing underwear, swim suits, ski jumping suits, or whatever. Let anybody wear whatever they want -- if some kind of outfit confers an advantage, everybody will adopt it. Otherwise, if you really want just the differences in physical condition and training to determine the outcome, then just designate some particular brand as the only official one (and only one brand of ski, one brand of snowboard, one type of wax, etc.). All seems kind of silly. Sounds silly yes. I would guess it's all just complicated by $$$$, sponsorship/advertising/etc hey? Link to post Share on other sites
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