RPT-Olympics-Speedo kicks off Paris 2024 swimwear race

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LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Swimwear manufacturer Speedo has fired the latest salvo in a battle that has seen outfits banned amid rows over the legality of materials used, by launching what the company claims are the world's fastest suits in time for next year's Paris Olympics.

Sportswear and equipment makers are competing to bring out new technologies ahead of the Paris Olympics, from running shoes to soccer balls, in hopes of boosting sponsored athletes' performance and attracting amateurs to increase sales.

In 2008 Speedo caused controversy with its original LZR Racer suit, developed with help from U.S. space agency NASA. Athletes wearing the suit broke world records but critics at the time said it amounted to "technological doping".

That suit and others produced by rivals like Arena and TYR Sport resulted in swimming's governing body implementing new rules including a ban on body-length swimwear.

Speedo's new Fastskin LZR suits for men and women have been approved by World Aquatics, the company said. Speedo says they are its most water repellent ever thanks to a material made by Lamoral, which developed a coating used to protect satellites in space.

Repelling water reduces friction and drag, which can help swimmers move faster and has been a major area of competition between swimwear brands.

TYR Sport's technical suits use a trademarked "Surface Lift Technology" to repel water, while Arena's include trademark carbon fibre materials and "Hydroglide" fabric. Arena and TYR Sport did not reply to Reuters questions about the Speedo suits.

Aimed at professional swimmers, the Speedo suits went on sale online on Wednesday for 370 pounds ($461) for the women's suit and 235 pounds ($293) for the men's.

Lamoral initially developed its coating for a European Space Agency research project to protect satellite antennae from corrosion, and then moved into uses for textiles, CEO Theo Verweerden told Reuters.

($1 = 0.8027 pounds) (Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)