While this next stage in swimwear evolution was quickly approved by FINA, it was not without controversy.

Even though FINA had already approved the ban, it had not been scheduled to go into effect until the following spring.

The most recent list of FINA approved swimsuits, which was published in January 2011 lists 78 specific Speedo brand swimsuits among 45 worldwide brands and nearly 720 models.

The venue was however, FINA approved.

Indeed the LZR Racer was banned by FINA in 2009, but not until swimmers wearing this suit had already broken at least 46 world records.

FINA's ban on the LZR Racer and all " hi-tech " suits came shortly before Michael Phelps's 200 meter freestyle loss to Germany's Paul Biedermann at the 2009 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy.

Under FINA law, no dive may be changed after the deadline for the dive-sheet to be submitted ( generally a period ranging from one hour to 24 hours, depending on the rulings made by the event organiser ).

The adoption of this technique led to many swimmers suffering from oxygen starvation and even to some swimmers passing out during the race, so a new rule was introduced by the FINA, limiting the distance that can be swum underwater after the start and after every turn, and requiring the head to break the surface every cycle.

However, FINA allows this stroke only for the first stroke after the start and each turn.

In late 2005, FINA has also introduced a new rule which allows you to perform a single downward kick after the push off the wall.

Breaststroke can be swum faster if submerged completely, but FINA requires the head to break the surface once per cycle except for the first cycle after the start and each turn.

Therefore, most experienced swimmers in backstroke competitions stay under water up to the limit set by FINA ( 15 meters after the start and after every turn ).

Two years after the 1996 Summer Olympics, FINA banned Smith for four years for tampering with her urine sample using alcohol.

Bodyskins were banned from FINA competitions from the start of 2010 after many national swimming federations demanded the action, and leading athletes such as Michael Phelps and Rebecca Adlington critized the suits.

Two years after the Atlanta Games, FINA banned Smith for four years for tampering with her urine sample using alcohol ; the testers also found traces of a metabolic precursor of testosterone, Androstenedione.

Although it initially received widespread support from the diving community, the FINA requirement that international competitors had to be registered with their National Governing Body was a major factor in the abandonment of this ambition a few years later.

Until the mid 1990s the tariff was decided by the FINA diving committee, and divers could only select from the range of dives in the published tariff table.

It was not until 1968 that synchronized swimming became officially recognized by FINA as the fourth water sport next to swimming, platform diving and water polo.

Podgorica was the host of 2009 FINA Men's Water Polo World League.

At issue was Fédération Internationale de Natation ( FINA ) rule 10. 7, which stated " No swimmer shall use any device that may aid his speed, buoyancy, or endurance during a competition ( such as webbed gloves, flippers, fins etc ).

The ambiguity continued when FINA was unable to define textile.

American Petrofina, as the United States operation was called, further expanded its presence in the US through the purchase of several small oil companies, the largest being the Cosden Oil Company from W. R. Grace in 1963, which gave FINA a very large chain of service stations in Texas and New Mexico along with an oil refinery in Big Spring, Texas.

In its " Pink Air " ads, Fina ( then undergoing a major expansion of its marketing territory which encompassed the Mid-Continent region from Texas to Minnesota ) noted that Pink Air was arriving at new FINA stations as fast as they could be opened and set a goal of having Pink Air in all of its stations by May 1966-five years later.

", Shell's " Platformate " additive that improved gas mileage, Texaco's invitation to " Trust Your Car to the Man Who Wears The Star " and Mobil's " Detergent gasoline "; "" PFLASH ", was promoted as an ingredient in FINA gasoline that would improve driving pleasure by " turning red lights green ," " smoothing out rough roads ," " improving the food at roadside restaurants " and " making you feel less sorry you ever got a driver's license.

On July 24, 2009, Julio Maglione of Uruguay was elected FINA President.

FINA was founded on July 19, 1908 in the Manchester Hotel in London, UK at the end of the 1908 Summer Olympics by the Belgian, British, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian and Swedish Swimming Federations.

However, the dolphin fishtail kick violated the breaststroke rules set by FINA and was not allowed.

In 1938, almost every breaststroke swimmer was using this butterfly style, yet this stroke was considered a variant of the breaststroke until 1952, when it was accepted by FINA as a separate style with its own set of rules.

FINA was then convinced to allow a breaststroke kick in Masters swimming.

The downward butterfly kick was legalized by FINA, WWF and the NCAA in 2005, and remains optional.

Villa was team captain of the 2005 US national team coached by two-time Olympian Heather Moody, winning a silver medal at the FINA World Championship in Montreal.

If a dive is performed which is as submitted but not as ( incorrectly ) announced, it is declared failed and scores zero according to a strict reading of the FINA law.

The global governing body of diving is FINA, which also governs swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo and open water swimming.

Synchronized swimming is governed internationally by FINA ( Federation Internationale de Natation ).

The sport is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Natation ( FINA ), and competition pools for FINA events are 25 or 50 metres in length.

The reason for the delay, FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu told the AP, is to give manufacturers enough time " to pass from polyurethane to textiles ".

The current rule ( GR 5. 4 ), as posted on FINA's website, states " Before any swimwear of new design, construction or material is used in competition, the manufacturer of such swimwear must submit the swimwear to FINA and obtain approval of FINA ".

Open since 2002, it consists of the National 50m Swimming Pool which is the only water facility in Ireland which has the approval of FINA, the international swimming body, and is the first in the country to be built to Olympic standards.

Fédération Internationale de Natation ( FINA ) is the International Federation ( IF ) recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) for administering international competition in the aquatic sports ( its name translated from French is " International Swimming Federation ").

FINA ’ s highest authority is the General Congress.

It is the Bureau that elects the FINA Executive Officers.

Another variant of the breaststroke kick is the scissor kick, however, this kick violates the rules of the FINA as it is no longer symmetrical.

For competitive swimming it is important that the wall at the end of the lane is always touched by both hands ( known as a " Two-Hand Touch ") at the same time due to FINA regulations.

It is affiliated with both LEN and FINA.

Ligue Européenne de Natation or LEN is the European governing body for aquatic sports affiliated to FINA — it is the Continental Association for Europe.

It is recognized by FINA ( Fédération Internationale de Natation ) as the official hall for the aquatics sports.