If it's a wetsuit legal race you can wear a short sleeve top.
If it's not a wetsuit legal you can wear a short sleeve top.

Sleeved suits are illegal in non-wetsuit WTC/Ironman races. They are legal according to USAT rules if you do non-WTC races in the USA. I can't speak for the other national organizations.

As to the "why?" I posed a similar question in this thread: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=5785286 . Nobody seemed to know why in that thread but I researched some more stuff on the internet and the WTC rule aligned with the ITU rule which aligned with the FINA rule. So the origin is with FINA's rule. FINA's rule regarding sleeved suits was indeed born out of the controversy surrounding the use of the Speedo LZR Racer suit during competitive swimming events in 2008 (most notably the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing). FINA changed the rule that suits could not extend below the knee or past the shoulder. Oddly enough, the Speedo LZR suit did not have sleeves. It was the full length legs that were the main issue as far as the "body fit" of the suit, but FINA's rule change was "full length body suit" specific. There was no competitive swimwear that had sleeves. ITU adopted the FINA rule, and WTC aligned with ITU rules. I think most agree that swimming with sleeves is actually a disadvantage, or neutral at best. So a rule meant to limit the length of the legs of the suit ends up having a ridiculous lasting effect on triathlon without any rational reason for the sleeves part of the equation. It would be nice if WTC and ITU would agree the sleeved part of the rule, which was an after thought and immaterial piece of language in the FINA rule, needs to be tweaked for triathlon. If they believe a sleeved suit offers some competitive advantage in the water, which by all accounts it does not, they should offer up some science, research, and testing saying it does. It's great that it can offer aero advantages on the bike but that's a very distant second reason to wear a sleeved suit for me. First and foremost I want the sun protection. I'd like to be able to do that without having to change suits in T1 or fuss around with rolling it down and wearing a swim skin and all that. Sun protection was not something FINA thought of when making their rule since it was a reaction to a suit being used by competitive swimmers in a pool. WTC and ITU need to revise this dumbass rule for triathlon purposes.

---

Follow me on Twitter @CK21TRHC
I use what I love: ISM, Blue70, Trek, FLO

USAT allows you to wear sleeved tops during the swim regardless of wetsuit or non-wetsuit.

WTC does NOT allow you to wear a sleeved top during the swim on a non-wetsuit legal swim.

---

blog

perfect and thank you all for the information!!!

---

Follow me on Twitter @CK21TRHC
I use what I love: ISM, Blue70, Trek, FLO

Are you answering your own question that you didn't even ask?

False.

---

I swim fast because I'm afraid of sharks.

I would agree that my desire for protection from the sun outweighs my desire for the areo benefit of a sleeved suit.

Also, it was the Blueseventy Nero, Arena X-Glide, and Jaked Full Body suit that led to the ban on full body suits.

They failed the tests that required air to pass through the suit so that it could not be used for added buoyancy, the Speedo LZR passed that test.

There was actually a big story about how Mike Cavic was wearing Arena, and the suit tested faster than Michael Phelps' Speedo LZR prior to the 2009 World Championships. He was going to get Phelps an X-Glide so that he couldn't use it as an excuse when he won.

Phelps declined and beat Cavic away.

---

I swim fast because I'm afraid of sharks.

i copied that from an old post.. so no worries proving me wrong... spend ur time elsewhere

---

Follow me on Twitter @CK21TRHC
I use what I love: ISM, Blue70, Trek, FLO

This is not true.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Is it true that you can wear it, it would just have to be pulled down around your waste? In which case you would want a swim skin over that.

I'm asking because I'm interested in getting sleeves and don't know. So pardon my ignorance.

---

Team Zoot - Great Lakes

Maybe outside North American but it's definitely not allowed in NA. It must be rolled down. Crowie was dq'd a few years ago at Honu 70.3 for not rolling it down.

---

blog

Some of the pre lzr bodysuits had sleeves such as Addidas.

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Just because you have to roll up the sleeves or roll down the top, doesn't mean you can't wear it.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

I was waiting for someone to mention semantics. But using the wrong word "of" instead of "have" is different than just being flat out wrong.

And if someone told you "You can't wear that top because it has sleeves" would just be flat out wrong.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

.

Go back a read what I wrote. I said you can't wear it during the swim. Even if it's a one piece and rolled down, I don't count that as wearing a sleeved top and the rules don't either.

---

blog

You're wrong.

I, you or anyone else can wear a sleeved top or sleeved one piece in a non wetsuit swim. Yes, there are other criteria that must be met, but bottom line is you CAN wear it. It is not as simple as saying "you can't wear it" because that is wrong.

And just to be clear, we are talking about WTC races only. Normal USAT sanctioned races don't have the same restrictions as WTC.

ETA: I wore a sleeved one piece from beginning to end at Raleigh 70.3 in 2015 (not wetsuit legal)

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

so I can wear my helmet on my wrist and not be in violation of the rule?

A bunch of girls think that you don't need no man to raise no child. Shut the f&*$ up with the bullshit! Yeah, you can do it without a man, but it don't mean it's to be done. Shit! You can drive a car with your feet if you want to; it don't mean it's a good f#@%ing idea! - Chris Rock

Thanks for explaining!! Glad I'm not racing any wtc races just local ones so is usat was my worries

---

Follow me on Twitter @CK21TRHC
I use what I love: ISM, Blue70, Trek, FLO

To put the USAT stamp of approval on it. At Des Moines Tri, I asked USAT head official Charlie Crawford about it that morning for clarification. It was absolutely legal. That race was NWS. He too could find no rational for WTC's ruling specifically as it relates to a triathlon event.

As a sidenote, I wore it rolled down just for the practice since it was a "C" race for me at the time. It cost me about 20 seconds and 1 place. Putting on socks (to avoid blisters 1 month from Kona) cost me another 30 seconds, and 2 more places. So both matter a lot in terms of time.... in a short course race. I'd guess the top maybe, got me back as much as 10s, but that might be a stretch.

---

TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

From the IM rule book:


To me.... this rule is written more from a wetsuit/swimskin point of view and not a sleeved tri suit. The material on a sleeved tri suit does not give you any performance advantage compared to the swimskin material.

---

blog

How can you say you can wear it? If someone says you can wear it, the assumption that everyone is going to make is that you can wear the top portion over your shoulders. If you put caveats to the "you can wear it", it's no different than saying "you can't wear it during the swim" with caveats.

Go poll 100 triathletes..... if you ask them to draw you a picture of someone wearing a sleeved tri suit.... I'm willing to bet a whole lot of money that all of them will draw a person with the suit over their shoulders.

I don't even know why I'm arguing with you over something so freaking stupid. If people want to take "you can't wear it during the swim" as you can't wear it at all (even rolled down)..... then fine, they can be slower than those who roll theirs down and put it on in t2. Shame on them for not educating themselves.

---

blog