Sources: U.S. wants to change suits

— -- Frustrated by their failure so far to win a medal in speedskating, a sport that produced four U.S. medals four years ago, the Americans are likely to change their suits, sources told ESPN.com.

The team would ditch the suits it wore in the first six events in Sochi -- when no American finished among the top five -- and wear earlier versions made by the same manufacturer, Under Armour.

The suits the Americans would use are the same ones they wore at last month's World Cup in Japan. They are different from the newer suits in that they don't have venting in the back or the flow molding meant to give skaters an advantage by helping their bodies better cut through the air.

A source said the IOC has approved the older Under Armour suits the U.S. team wants to wear.

Ted Morris, the executive director of U.S. Speedskating, told ABC News that every member of the team would have to use the old suits. He did not confirm that a final decision had been made by the IOC.

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal suggested that the inability of the Americans to get to the podium could have been as a result of the vents, which are meant to dump excess air but may have created drag instead.

The complaints about the suits are strange considering that sources say American speedskaters were so thrilled with the suits when they got them in January that they purposely held them back at the World Cup so as not to reveal their secret weapons.

Morris told ABC News that he has not seen evidence that the suits are to blame for the team's performance, but that changing the suits was one variable his athletes could control. There are six speedskating competitions left in Sochi.

After Shani Davis, who was the two-time defending Olympic champion in the 1,000 meters, finished eighth in the event in Sochi, the vents were ripped out and covered with rubber for the women. Even still, the U.S. women, who had dominated at previous venues, finished seventh and eighth.

"We're confident in all three suits we designed for the U.S. speedskating team," said Kevin Haley, Under Armour's senior vice president of innovation. "We are their partner and if they think one of our other suits will benefit them more, we support them."

Another variable that hasn't received as much press is the fact the Americans trained at high altitudes on hard ice, whereas Sochi is at sea level and has softer, sloppy ice.

This isn't the first time this type of change has been made.

In 2006, U.S. skaters ditched the newest Nike suits provided to them and wore older versions for the Olympics.

It still doesn't appear to be anything like what happened in Beijing in 2008. Due to new rules, Speedo's swim suits were so far superior to others that rival companies allowed their athletes to use them so that they would have the best chance to win a medal.