In the spirit of the Olympics (and a record breaking swimming Olympics) I thought I would highlight United States Patent Application 2008/0141431 filed by Speedo on August 16, 2007 for the torso swimsuit we have seen on the Olympians. The application describes a garment (e.g. a swim suit) having a base layer of stretchable elasticated fabric, the base layer having a torso portion that covers at least a part of the torso of a person when the garment is worn. An inner core layer of stretchable elasticated fabric is bonded to the inner surface of the base layer to extend around the abdomen and lower back regions of the garment. By providing a double layer of stretchable elasticated fabric in this manner, more compression is applied to the abdomen of the person (e.g. swimmer) wearing the suit, bringing about improvements in form drag. The additional support provided to the lower back and abdomen also improves core stability, which is of benefit in many sporting activities, including swimming.
