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Controversial new swimsuits whose users have broken a string of world records have been approved by swimming's world governing body FINA.

The approved suits, among them the Jaked 01 worn by Frederick Bousquet when he broke the 50m freestyle world record at the French championships in April, will be authorised at the world championships next month in Rome, FINA said in a statement.

Alarmed by more than 100 world records in the past 18 months, most from swimmers wearing new technology suits, FINA had decided to reassess the standards.

At the heart of the controversy are new suits totally covered with polyurethane to aid buoyancy. The old suits only had polyurethane plates.

The all-polyurethane Jaked 01 was left off a list published last month by FINA but featured on the long new list released.

The new list also approved modified versions of the Arena X-Glide, the polyurethane suit worn by Alain Bernard (pictured) when he set the showcase 100m freestyle record last month and became the first man to crack the 47 seconds barrier with 46.94 at the April French championships.

Neither Bernard's record nor Bousquet's has yet been ratified by FINA and Monday's statement did not specify whether they would be.

Many suits which failed to win approval last month were approved on Monday after being re-presented with modifications by manufacturers.

Explaining the process, FINA said it would have taken considerable time "to create and implement comprehensive control mechanisms and test methods" to establish with absolute certainty the buoyancy effect of particular swimsuits.

"In a transitory period where the industry had little time to anticipate the requirements, it is also important to take into account that the outcome of the approval process can have substantial impact on existing production and stocks," the statement said.

"Therefore, in cases where there was a reasonable doubt as to the effect, such doubt had to be taken into account in the decision concerning the respective swimsuits."

Reuters