Something has popped up, Shukan Post (2/8) says, that has sent shudders of fear among Japanese female swimmers seeking glory in the Beijing Olympics this summer -- a set of nipples.

Photoshopping pictures taken of female swimmers wearing the revolutionary new shin_rev swimsuits by apparel maker Descente reveals... and reveals.

"Use the software to process the photos and they show absolutely everything," a cameraman tells Shukan Post.

Descente spent three years developing the shin_rev swimsuits, which align material with muscles, cut seam space by 10 percent and reduce water resistance by 3 percent. In a world where the difference between victory and defeat is measured in hundredths of seconds, it's a significant matter.

Of course, uproar over athletes' see-through swimsuits is not new in Japan. A while ago now it was revealed that swimsuits became see-through if filmed using the infra-red function on video cameras. Swimming officials thought they'd countered the problem by strictly limiting photography at swim meets to professionals with credentials, as well as getting swimsuit makers to take precautionary steps.

"After the (2004) Athens Olympic Games, we asked all official swimsuit manufacturers to ensure their products would not become see-through when filmed in infra-red," a spokesman for the Japan Swimming Federation tells Shukan Post. "We're also exchanging plenty of information with administrators from other sports where unauthorized filming is a problem."

Descente is shocked to learn from the weekly about the apparently see-through swimsuits.

"We thought we'd taken that matter well into account during the development process. We fit athletes based on our company's strict guidelines and received all sorts of feedback. None of the athletes we've tested said anything about transparency," Descente developer Toshiharu Tsubouchi tells Shukan Post. "Mind you, this swimsuit uses a lot of polyurethane designed to give adhesiveness and, depending on the way light shines on it, the color can brown a bit. That may make it look a little bit transparent."

Tsubouchi says that there is a difference between transparency and nipples being clearly visible. He says that a tight fit is vital for athletes, and invariably some body parts protrude more than others.

"Athletes are only interest in how much faster they can go," he says. "I don't think there's an athlete who cares one iota about what shapes are visible under their gear."

Spokesman at other official swimsuit manufacturers Mizuno and Asics tell an identical story, saying that functionality is of prime importance: swimmers are unlikely to bother about whether their headlights are turned on, so to speak, as long as the engine is running properly.

The men's weekly notes that nipples protruding through female athletes' garments is an area the Japanese pay too much heed to, pointing out how tennis star Maria Sharapova titillated fans here because her nipples were clearly visible through his outfits, though nobody anywhere else has mentioned this.

Descente's Tsubouchi says the Japanese fascination with athletes' nipples displays a cultural gap with the West.

"I don't want to say something as simple as the thinner the swimwear, the faster you'll swim, but athletes from Western countries prefer to have their uniforms made with as thin a material as possible. They don't care if people can see through them. I've got some Western staff who ask me whether Japanese are more concerned with their looks than their times," he tells Shukan Post. "I think there may be something like that among the Japanese. But, recently, most athletes are concerned only with their times. There are changes in what people like." (By Ryann Connell)