clipped from: roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com   

Is It the Athlete or the Equipment?

Left to right: Cycling in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in March 2009; golf clubs with deeper grooves make it easier to hit out of the rough; Japan’s Olympics champion Kosuke Kitajima wearing Speedo’s LZR Racer swimsuit in 2008.
(Photo, left to right: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images, Robert Laberge/Getty Images, Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

The International Cycling Union recently alerted professional teams that it intends to crack down on new technology in bicycle designs and accessories that might give an unfair advantage to teams with access to the latest breakthroughs.

Similar debates are perennially going on in golf, tennis and swimming because advances in equipment design can significantly affect how well athletes perform. Athletes don’t have equal access to the best training facilities and coaches. Why should a line be drawn denying them access to the latest technology?