Descente Ltd. said Friday it has developed swimwear material that remains opaque when filmed by an infrared camera.
The material will be used by Japanese swimmers at the Athens Olympics, which open Aug. 13.
The material, dubbed Video Proof, will be used as lining in swimwear and is intended to ease concerns by female swimmers over being shot by infrared cameras, which can make regular swimwear appear transparent, the Osaka-based sportswear company said.
"Since there are some competitive swimmers who can't concentrate on swimming (due to the situation), with their results adversely affected in the competition, we hope to back them up as much as possible (with the new material)," a company official said.
Seven swimmers including Junko Onishi, a bronze medalist at the Sydney Olympics, will use swimwear that incorporates the material, company officials said.
Video Proof swimwear remains opaque even when filmed by infrared cameras by absorbing infrared rays in wavelengths used by cameras currently on the market, according to the company.
Descente will use the material as lining for some 130,000 swimsuits for competition to be launched under the brand name arena in December.
It also plans to use the new material as underwear for swimmers and competitors in other sports, including track and field, and volleyball, the company said.