As athletes gear up for the start of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday and the Paralympics on Aug. 24, a long-running debate has reignited over the dress code standards for women athletes. Why Do So Many Female Athletes Wear Bikini-Style Uniforms? Their right to choose what they wore no doubt helped them feel more at ease when performing. Follow NBC OUT on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. There were similar dress code protests by female athletes at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Switzerland this year. Women athletes are taking control of their Olympic sporting uniforms. Even then, the suits still cop a beating. When it comes to volleyball, therules requirea like-colored uniform bottom, with a choice ofshorts, spandex, skorts or skirts. The International Olympic Committee does not establish or enforce uniform regulations. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. Hooters Employees Are Pushing Back Against New Revealing Uniforms "It is not uncommon that a player, for religious reasons, may wear a different bottom," she said. While this might seem progressive, the barrel shape of the new uniform carefully concealed young womens bodies. Your investment will help us reach our Spring Member Drive goal. Yet women athletes, particularly those of color, continue to face enhanced public scrutiny for their looks, from their hairstyles to the cut of their uniforms. Games like tennis, volleyball, track and gymnastics all see women more scantily clad than their male counterparts. That's why men wear shirts in sanctioned events. Women donthaveto wear bikinis. In some sports, less clothing is advantageous, he said. Enter your email address to get a new one. Voss, who will compete in Tokyo as well, told the BBC that gymnasts should feel open to wear whichever style of leotard makes them comfortable. Sarah Sponcil of Team USA plays a shot during Olympic beach volleyball practice in Tokyo on Wednesday. Of course, these bare minimum uniforms must be all about sports performance. IndyStar tracked down uniform rules at all levels of play, from middle school to professional, and found thatmost allow female athletes to cover upif they wish. Both the handball and gymnastics examples highlight how women, as insiders within the institution of sport, are beginning to challenge how their bodies are presented and policed by sport federations. The international governing federation requires women beach handball players to wear bikini bottoms with a close fit, with a side width that can be a maximum of 10 centimeters, or 3.9 inches. "They are having to squatand get low and move to the left and move to the right in these very short bursts. Sydney FC's fourth A-League Women championship fulfils their own living legacy, A short history of the lowest-scoring matches in rugby league history, AFL Round-Up: Unprecedented Pies a joy to behold, Horne-Francis unleashes Port's intensity, Hannah Green comes up clutch to win LPGA's LA Championship in playoff, 'They will forever know their dad was a hero': 1,000 mourners farewell slain NSW paramedic, There are 11 First Nations MPs and senators. So how did these rules come into effect in the first place, and whats the reasoning behind them? Overt sexualization: Why Olympic women athletes ran into There are a lot of people at USA Gymnastics who should never be allowed to work with children again, Raisman later said.
