To think that female athletes could be in shorts rather than arse-cheek-revealing pants?

The next development will be a bra twisted into their cleavage with a nude boob hanging out each side.

I felt sorry for those girls in the articles who objected and wanted shorts.

It’s the volleyball pants for me that have gone too far. I couldn’t concentrate on reading a magazine in my own bedroom with my knickers stuffed up my crack like that, let alone perform at the Olympics.

What puzzles me is that some wear skimpy tight fitting clothes, presumably for perfomance/mobility reasons, and then have big hair or jewellery bouncing about.

I was just going to say this too.

Do you want to lose the race, world or Olympic record by a hundredth of a second due to a bit of short flap, or would you want to give yourself the best chance by wearing the smallest outfit, yet still looking acceptable.

This comment of course doesn't cover the volleyball. No idea on that one.

Actually most of them are wearing skorts rather than skirts. And a couple of years ago even Wimbledon relaxed its former stuffy rules about all-white and allowed women to wear dark underwear.

As to why they wear short skirts, obviously you don't want one which restricts your movement in any way. Tennis is deceptive on TV, it all looks fairly slow, but the speed at which the women hit the ball these days, they have to be fantastic athletes to stay in the rallies. The vast majority of them actually train and practise in shorts, and in lots of tournaments around the world are allowed to compete in shorts too, if they so wish.

Quite normal to train in something less "optimal" than competition kit...

The problem here is that the European" federation had this rule, but the International* federation did not.

The Olympics follows the International rules, which permit vests/shirts/croptops and both tight and baggy shorts; plus has a hijab version, as well as bikini-style.

So yes, there was a problem in Europe, but for this one at least it is not the case in Olympic or World events. Any team that is wearing the bikini-type option will be doing so because that is what they have chosen. If you google for images of international fixtures and those from this Olympics, you'll see a real mix of choices across teams (within teams it tends to be identical, though occasionally you see different shorts in same colour)

I was watching the men's decathlon yesterday, and clocked that some competitors had tan lines below the level of their tightie competition shorts, which shows that they also must train in longer garments than the ones they choose for competition.

They wear what they prefer racing in/ to perform in. You'll notice even the swimmers tech suits have different leg lengths.

And it doesn't always happen normal life to competition way.

My ds is a swimmer.

After this 2 week shut down they will all reappear with a variety of tan lines as they don swimming trunks to train in 😂

MrsSkylerWhite · Today 18:30
skyandocean · Yesterday 21:51
Even for tennis, I don't understand why the women are in very short skirts! The men's shorts are longer! If women are given the option of longer skirts/dresses - fair enough, but it just seems like another way to use women as sx symbols*”

No it doesn’t. They can wear whatever they like/are comfortable in.
Can you really see Venus agreeing to wear something she wasn’t happy with

skyandocean · Yesterday 21:51
Even for tennis, I don't understand why the women are in very short skirts! The men's shorts are longer! If women are given the option of longer skirts/dresses - fair enough, but it just seems like another way to use women as s*x symbols”

No it doesn’t. They can wear whatever they like/are comfortable in.
Can you really see Venus agreeing to wear something she wasn’t happy with?

Pretty much this. Go into a ballet studio and they won't all be wearing the tutus you see on stage. I read something by a female runner saying they find the 'gym knicker' shorts less restrictive which is crucial in competition. I could see they might wear something longer in training when 100th of a second doesn't matter.

And as someone who did ballet and gymnastics as a kid, leotards don't feel weirdly revealing in the way they would if you wore a similar outfit to the supermarket. It's about the context and this is just what you wear. Like I feel normal wearing a swimming costume in the pool, but wouldn't in the street.

I take it you missed the men's synchronised diving then op.

I should have thought men might get quite a lot of “drag” when naked … Surely it was more efficient to have it tucked up and out of the way! 😂

I read that back in the 70s or 80s the East Germans applied to compete in the swimming naked as to reduce the drag from the swimming costume in a sport where medals are decided by 0.01 of a second. It was denied.

They probably should be concerned in some sports. The nearest I've seen to indecent exposure this Olympics was in the men's diving, when the underwater camera caught one diver having to hoick his (tiny) trunks back up

For athletics, lots will train in less revealing kit, particularly the distance runners who are out pounding the streets and don't want to do so in effectively underwear. However, putting on racing briefs ("buns") is like putting on your uniform, or your best suit, it means it's "go time".

As a much younger athlete I'd race in buns because they made me feel fast. I would never have dreamed of wearing them for training, they were exclusively race kit. Most of the "fast girls" did. They're less fashionable now than they were, but I can understand why a lot of elites still choose them, particularly in events where the range of movement is beneficial like long/triple/high jump and the sprints.

No, I don't think it is either edwinbear - there are plenty of clothing options at junior and lower levels and, by the time they get to the elite level, they're much more worried about performance enhancement than anything else.

My cousin participated in the Tokyo Olympics in one of the sports under discussion and, although she is a looooong way from body confident in 'real life', she said she doesn't even think about it in competition - she is just focused on giving the best performance she can and the outfit is a part of that.

Of course there are (sadly) lots of young people and adults who won't do sport because they are body conscious but that is a self image thing and isn't going to go away with a small adjustment to outfit. I wouldn't wear a swimsuit because I'd feel too fat. But I also wouldn't wear a unitard for the same reason. Or shorts for the same reason. Or running leggings for the same reason. By which point I'm out of options and don't swim. That's not swimming's fault!

I’m heavily involved in junior athletics as both DC compete. The kids must wear club colours to compete - either a vest or crop top for the girls, both are freely available. Many kids (boys and girls) choose to wear skins or a t-shirt under their vest. The boys wear any combination of baggy shorts, cycling shorts, running tights, the girls the same with Nike Pros and runnning briefs added in as an option. There are so many combinations of outfits at a junior meet nobody really notices what they’re wearing. I certainly don’t recognise it as a barrier to young girls taking up athletics.

Absolutely we feel the same. But then the whole point of op’s thread was that they tend not to have bits hanging out of theirs .

Don't bloody watch stuff you don't like seeing. Unless you are an athlete/gymnast/volleyball player who doesn't like your cossie, in which case, complain to your governing body, just pipe down and watch sonething else.
We are enjoying the athleticism, not caring about their bloody outfits
But while we're here, do you feel the same about mens gear in each sport?

But women weren’t even allowed to watch do even the ancient Greeks thought there had to be modesty precautions ( and they walked round in sheets with no underwear!)

Why don't they just do it all naked, like in the good old days? Apparently a woman snuck in and won a medal at the supposedly all-male Olympics for archery or something, so Zeus made everyone do it naked from then on so you spot female imposters

Gender and Olympics seems like a long running theme

The pimply was me and I actually had men’s bottoms in mind - it was in response to the David photo. So the hating woman’s bodies is just emotive tosh. I’m all for respecting women’s bodies.

And to be honest sports bras I don’t think are the problem or even bottom covering knickers. Its the knickers that are now cutting up towards the crack. There has to be limits. I’m sure even you wouldn’t think crotchless is appropriate - or do you? The question is where is the line - and some people think the backs of some of those knickers are pretty much getting to it.