Will we see new athletic attire for women’s volleyball during the London Olympics?
Annie Scudder, Editor at TrèsSugar, talks about the new rule from the International Volleyball Federation that allows for an alternative wardrobe on the sand.
Olympic volleyball players jump high above the net or throw themselves into the sand all while wearing nothing more than sporty bathing suits. Well the women do at least, while their male counterparts play in shorts and tank tops. And now, thanks to a new rule served up by the International Volleyball Federation, women beach volleyball players will be able to trade their bathing suit bottoms for shorts and sports bras for shirts at this year’s Olympics in London.
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Cultural sensitivity, rather than athletic logistics, motivated the shift. The International Volleyball Federation explained that not all countries or cultures are comfortable with the amount of long-and-lean skin on display during the beach volleyball matches. A spokesman said, “Many of these countries have religious and cultural requirements, so the uniform needed to be more flexible,” although the countries wanting the change were not specified. Beach volleyball has only been an Olympic sport since 1996, and the new rule is meant to encourage more countries to compete.
It’s pretty crazy the sport previously mandated that the women wear such a revealing uniform, since more coverage obviously doesn’t have an impact on how the men play. Could it be that the idea of women bending, stretching, and jumping in bathing suits is considered a draw for viewership? Either way, it’s expected that most players will wear the typical sports bra/bikini bottom ensemble at this year’s Olympics.
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—Photo credit: Flickr / BrazilWomenBeach
It’s about effin time! Having coached 3 daughters in various sports, I’ve learned to take female athletes seriously, and the first time I saw these women athletes I thought”That can’t be a comfortable uniform to compete in.” It really casts a ‘sleeze factor’ over the sport. I mean what follows the beach volleyball on the olympic TV coverage, Competive pole Dancing?
Am I a bad person for admitting I’d probably watch competitive pole dancing if it were an event at the Olympics? 🙂
But seriously…I’m all for women being able to wear bikinis for beach volleyball…it is on a beach, after all. I just think it’s a bit nuts that it was mandatory to wear a bathing suit for so long.
Hey, I’ll bring over a 6 pack and watch the pole dancing with you. LOL
You’ll have to drink it yourself; I don’t like the taste of beer. I’ll make sure to stock up on cider though. 😉
What about the opinion of spectators?
Who are the organising committee? If they’re former volleyballers then I’d say they should be listened to when they make decisions about what their co-athletes should wear.
That said, I think its positive that women are being given the option to cover up. As mentioned some women might not feel comfortable in a bikini.
“This issue comes up every Olympics, and it is allways mis-represented. For example: “From Fabrizio Rossini, the press officer for the Federation Internationale de Volleyball, said female beach volleyball players have the option of playing in a one-piece uniform, but most prefer the bikinis. The federation is the international governing body for Olympics volleyball.” — Aug. 18, 2008 Male athletes are not allowed to play without shirts. They would if they could. The only female athletes who are going to choose the tank tops and shorts, over the bikinis, are women from middle eastern nations. It is a cooling thing.… Read more »
Is it more comfy in a bikini vs the other attire?
My friend’s 15 yo daughter, the high school volleyball champion plays in a t-shirt and bicycle shorts and knee pads….I would like to see what the response would be if she and her teenage teammates were required to wear bikinis to all of their tournaments….