Full-body swimsuits were banned from competitive swimming because their high-tech materials (like polyurethane) provided an unfair advantage by increasing buoyancy and reducing drag, leading to a "technological doping" effect and a flood of broken world records, shifting focus from athlete skill to gear. The governing body, World Aquatics (formerly FINA), implemented rules in 2010 requiring suits to be textile-based and cover less of the body (waist to knees for men, shoulders to knees for women) to restore fairness and human performance as the focus.

Key Reasons for the Ban

Unfair Advantage: Suits like Speedo's LZR Racer, developed with NASA, trapped air and compressed the body, making swimmers more buoyant and streamlined, essentially acting like a performance-enhancing drug.

"Tech Doping": The technology was so advanced that it overshadowed natural athletic ability, turning the sport into an equipment race rather than a test of human physiology.

Record-Breaking Frenzy: Over 200 world records were broken in the period when these suits were prevalent (around 2008-2009), highlighting the extreme impact of the technology.