Why are so many Olympic swimming records being broken? 15 Aug 2008

...That's the question that seems to be on every sports reporter's lips at the moment.

And everyone seems to have an opinion. Some point to the probable use of illegal substances. However, according to the authorities, more athletes are being tested (and tested more regularly) than ever before - so even if drugs are a factor, they are unlikely to explain the record-breaking results we're seeing in their entirety.

Then there are those who point to the pool. These commentators talk up the importance of the WaterCube's two extra lanes, pool-side gutters, extra depth and plastic-buoy lane-dividers - all of which serve to dampen the waves produced by swimmers (waves that would otherwise slow the pool down). Yet, while this may be the first time that the general public has seen these features, they aren't innovations - virtually all pools that host major competitions have had them for a few years now. So these add-ons can't explain the times being recorded in Beijing.

Architect John Bilmon - the man who designed Sydney's pool for the 2000 games - credits the beauty of the WaterCube. He thinks that its stunning design has inspired the competitors to reach greater and greater heights. Interestingly, he also suggests that, once records started being broken, competitors quickly became convinced that the pool was especially fast and that, thereafter, this turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

Our theory? It's the swimming costumes. (We predicted that Speedo's new LZR Racer bodysuit would have a major effect on the Games way back in April)...It could, of course, also be the result of a lot of hard work on the part of the athletes (or is that too simple an explanation ;-)

Finally, it turns out that the pool really would have been a lot faster if the architects had had their way. The WaterCube's designers wanted to fit the building with porous end walls which would have essentially soaked up all the waves produced by the swimmers like a sponge. However, the Chinese balked at the price. And then there's the starting podiums. Omega wanted to use the Games to debut a new model with an adjustable flap that gives swimmers something to push off from (replacing traditional podiums, which are flat and thus don't give swimmers much of a boost). Testing shows that these new "starting blocks" would have shaved at least another tenth of a second off swimmers' times. The American and Australian swim teams objected to their introduction however, feeling that the change might reduce their medal count, so the International Olympic Committee gave them the thumbs down...