The hi-tech swimsuits that have led to a deluge of world records will be banned from next year when the sport will revert to costumes made from textiles, swimming's governing body FINA said yesterday.

"The material can only be textile fabric," FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu told a news conference.

"The shape (of the costume) - for men it shall not extend above the naval or below the knee. For women it shall not extend above the neck, beyond the shoulders or below the knee."

Last week FINA indicated the changes would be implemented in January but on Tuesday it said they might not be in place until May 2010.

Controversy over all-polyurethane suits has overshadowed the world championships in Rome, where the rapid rate at which records are falling has heightened fears for the sport's credibility.

"The evolution is that we will go to textiles as soon as possible. We'll change the shape as soon as possible," Marculescu added.

FINA said a scientific committee would be appointed to define textile fabric for its regulations by the end of September after its executive discussed how to implement the decision to dump the latest suits made at a congress last week.

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