Arena, Powerskin R-Evolution+ and the Beijing Olympics
Tolentino – 14 July 2008:
A little less than a month to go now, before the start of the great adventure
of the Beijing Olympics. Although swimming has always been the most popular Olympic
discipline after athletics, it has definitely never been thrust so much into
the centre of media attention, with such an enormous psychological pressure placed
on athletes, coaches and federal managers.
The
arrival of a new generation of swimsuits, characterised by new materials that
had never been used before, and the “statistically aberrant” number of world
records broken in little more than three months, clearly produced an atmosphere
of anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that has been amplified and hyped by the
media throughout the world.
With
the intention of restoring tranquillity to the situation, and of making it
possible for its partners to prepare adequately for the forthcoming Olympic
games, Arena initially set itself the tough task of acting as spokesperson for
the doubts and worries that over the last few months have been troubling the
whole swimming world. Arena, in fact, proposed to FINA a series of initiatives
designed primarily to sustain the ethical values of sport. These initiatives,
unfortunately, did not bring the desired results.
Taking
account of the new regulatory framework, with a more flexible interpretation of
FINA’s statement of rules, Arena decided to avoid any further, and probably
fruitless, legal action, preferring to concentrate its resources on a challenge
that was more arduous, but certainly more congenial to the spirit of the
company: to produce, in time for Beijing, a version of POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION
that integrates some of the technological solutions that correspond to the new
interpretation of the regulations.
In
the record time of 3 months, this new swimsuit, called POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION+, is a reality. POWERSKIN
R-EVOLUTION+ has been
developed on the basis of the same innovative concept of POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION:
an exclusive fabric, the lightest ever used for a racing suit (Arena STEALTH®, only 99g/m2); a structure based on one
single piece of fabric, held together with two ultraflat thermobonds (bonding
technology); essentially, a swimsuit which is the lightest, with the best fit
and glide in the water that has ever been made.
The
additional features of POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION+ can be seen in a series of polyurethane panels,
positioned on specific areas of the suit, which are established according to
bio-mechanical criteria in order to obtain even better levels of glide in the
water and muscular compression, as well as an improvement in the athlete’s
posture in underwater and swimming phases.
The necessary approval by FINA was obtained on last June 3rd.
“We are convinced that POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION is a product that represents a revolutionary concept – stated Cristiano Portas, Arena Group CEO – as it completely subverts existing standards, thanks to the total absence of stitching on the front and the extraordinary lightness of its STEALTH® fabric. A great many athletes, especially those who are looking for a suit that is light and that has good fit and sensitivity in the water, have confirmed to us that we have here an exceptional swimsuit. The ideal basis, therefore, for the
development of a second version, dedicated to sprinters and which is able to produce maximum performance by the application of new generation polyurethane panels”.
The outstanding performance levels of POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION+ have been confirmed in timed tests and by feedback from athletes and coaches, throughout the course of an impressive testing programme that involved, in the last month, a group of extremely high level swimmers, amongst whom, purely by way of example, Laszlo Cseh, Roland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling, Gerhard Zandberg, Cameron Van Den Burgh, Suzaan Van Biljon, Fabien Gilot, Laure Manaudou, Alena Popchanka, Arkady Vyatchanin, Roman Sludnov, Egenij Lagunov, Julia Efimova, Anastasia Zueva, Alexander Dale Oen, Milorad Cavic and many others.
Some of the athletes who participated in the tests were able to use POWERSKIN R-EVOLUTION+ in official events at the recent meetings in Montreal, Liverpool and Atlanta.
Arena will
present itself at the next Olympic Games with an unprecedented choice of competition
swimsuits, providing a superlative response to the broad variety of
requirements of the best international swimmers, both in the pool (for all
styles and at all distances) and for the marathon swimming.
For further information
Cristina Cantoni
Contrada Cisterna 84/85 - 62029
Tolentino (MC)
Tel.
+30 0733 956200 Fax +30 0733969166
Mob.
+39 334 6879249
c.cantoni@arenaitalia.it
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