A small Ottawa swimsuit manufacturer hoping to make a big splash at a national synchronized swimming competition in Gatineau, Que., has run afoul of a bigger fish.

Susan Trott says her company will lose about $5,000 in revenue after being told to pull most of its merchandise from sales racks. (CBC)Susan Trott says her company will lose about $5,000 in revenue after being told to pull most of its merchandise from sales racks. (CBC)

Susan Trott runs her company TaggerWear, a maker of swimwear and dance clothes, from two rooms in her Ottawa home.

She says she had a deal with Gatineau Synchro — the club hosting the Canadian Espoir Championships, a national competition for swimmers 13 to 15 years old — for the right to sell her merchandise there.

It would have been a big sales opportunity for TaggerWear, which produced event-specific material for the occasion.

But Synchro Canada, the sport's governing body, is sponsored by swimwear goliath Speedo, and it too has a deal covering the event. Every swimmer in the competition, which runs until Sunday, is wearing a Speedo.

"As it turns out, some of our swim products are in direct conflict or competition with the national sponsor, Speedo, and so they've asked us to remove them off of our racks," Trott said. "Unfortunately, it leaves us with virtually nothing to sell."

'We have a contract, a legally binding contract, with Synchro Canada.'— Speedo rep Vanessa Haywood

Trott, who employs five people at her company, said she has had to pull thousands of dollars in goods from her sales racks, and will lose about $5,000 in revenue — the equivalent of a month's payroll.

Speedo said it's just making sure its sponsorship agreement is upheld.

"We have a contract, a legally binding contract, with Synchro Canada, and we expect it to be respected," said Vanessa Haywood, a marketing manager with Speedo. "We expect the host community to respect that as well."

Synchro Canada CEO Catherine Gosselin-Després said much the same.

"When we host a national meet, all those sponsors like Speedo take precedence on anything else, so no competing sponsor can be here while we have a national meet," she said.

Speedo also sponsors Swimming Canada and Diving Canada, presenting an obstacle for a small swimwear company like Trott's to gain a bigger profile.

Or, as Trott said: "It kind of feels like I'm a piranha being eaten by a shark."