Olympics and bikinis

[Andrea87]

I just heard that the Norwegian beach ball team were penalised for not wearing bikini bottoms but shorts , although it was only a short clip on tv so there may be more to it than about wearing skimpy clothes. I think that is out of order and if they want to wear something that is less revealing then that is ok, it should after all be about the sport.
It will be interesting to see what will happen when/ if the German gymnastic team wears full body leotards .
I think making it more about the sport and less about wearing sexy and revealing outfits should be welcomed.

Also the gymnastic unitards have to be 'elegant' do the requirements for men's outfits also use language based on aesthetics and attractiveness?

It just feel likes sporting clothing should only be regulated in terms of not gaining an advantage over competitors (ie: some if the swimming tech) and in terms of safety.

It just feel likes sporting clothing should only be regulated in terms of not gaining an advantage over competitors (ie: some if the swimming tech) and in terms of safety

Totally agree (although I do think everyone in a team should wear the same and that an individual's country needs to be able to be identified from their outfit).

Talking about swimming tech though - that is allowed, isn't it? BBC were talking about Adam Peaty's heated trunks this morning. Keeps his body temperature regular in the water or something.

I assumes gymnastics teams like the USA that go in for the ribbons, sparkles and make up choose to do so? GB and other teams don't dress up like they do so it can't be required. I hope teams that do aren't told that they must.

I don't know if this has been mentioned but Pink is paying for the fines and said she'd pay for any more that came 🙌🏽

It was only the French Open that banned it, not "tennis" and of course she should have been able to choose, but it was banned for being too revealing, not because the powers that be wanted female athletes dressed "sexily". The exact opposite of the volleyball situation in fact.

How on earth was it too revealing?

DP and I were watching the gymnastics yesterday, and I said to him I find it quite uncomfortable that the beam, particularly, the women have to do all that prancing and posturing between each 'point scoring' move. (I only watch the Olympics, and only casually, so I'm not really sure of the whys and wherefores, so happy to be corrected if anyone knows better) I think it's that they have to keep moving, throughout the routine, so the skill is in not having the time to set themselves up perfectly for a backflip or whatever? But I said to DP - they wouldn't expect the men to be doing posturing that verges on sexual while on the bloody pommel horse or rings, would they?!

Add in the young ages of some of the athletes, and watching them do things like arching their back and stick their bum out, while wearing skin tight high cut leotards, is really really uncomfortable.

@ShinglesOuch

The moves naturally flow into each other on the pommel horse and rings, there's no real break between the moves. If you paused on the pommel horse, you would simply come off. If you paused on the rings (not in a specific hold) it would be very obvious and you would lose points

The linking dance elements on the beam are to make it more fluid. It's a lot more difficult to perform a routine that flows as one continuous combination, then to be able to pause and prepare for the next move

I haven't watched any of this years, but I've never thought of the linking movements to be sexy. It's normally just dramatic arm, leg and head movements

Go Norway - whoever thought that bikinis were the best kit for beach volleyball hasn't ever lived in Norway I imagine.

I'm sure many sports have better performances without any clothes at all - purely for aerodynamic/friction reasons - but until the day that The Olymics is played totally naked again....

I think the Norwegians can wear whatever they want.

@Katefoster

I don't know if this has been mentioned but Pink is paying for the fines and said she'd pay for any more that came 🙌🏽

No, she offered to pay as did others, the Norwegian handball association declined all offers , they are paying themselves.

Doesn’t take away from her amazing offer though, wish more people were like Pink.

It seems that every nation's team must have at least one or 2 people that are really superb at waxing/epilating because despite all the 'moves' in whatever sport, there's not a pube in sight.

Bloody hell, if I was a pube remover employed at the Olympics for any Team I'd be sticking that on my CV.

(I only watch the Olympics, and only casually, so I'm not really sure of the whys and wherefores, so happy to be corrected if anyone knows better) I think it's that they have to keep moving, throughout the routine, so the skill is in not having the time to set themselves up perfectly for a backflip or whatever?

No, it’s the opposite. You can’t just do skill after skill, you need dance elements to break up the routine, give you chance to catch your breath, and also to move along the beam to get in the correct position- you can’t do 3 acrobatic skills in a row from the middle of the beam, you have to move to the end and set it up correctly.

Unfortunately as gymnastics has got more acrobatic the dance side is lost. So it’s evolved into the posturing for several reasons, one is the lack of dance ability-even on floor now many are more like the men in that it’s a series of postures- the other is if you get too fancy with your footwork you risk falling off. So it’s kept as simple as possible.

The dance isn’t sexual at all IMO, and it’s a shame if that’s what you see rather than the skill of moving round on a 4in wide plank. Plus now the average age of gymnasts is closer to mid 20-s, it isn’t little girls any more.

it’s a shame if that’s what you see rather than the skill of moving round on a 4in wide plank.

Actually that's exactly why I watch it - it's completely amazing, I'm absolutely in awe of what they're able to do.

It was just yesterday, and I'm sorry, I can't remember which athletes it was to show you exactly what bit I'm talking about, there were a couple of poses that just seemed like the kind of pose you see in glamour / boudoir photography. Quite jarring in the moment, then it moved into the more ballet type moves. And I just thought, 'there'd be no expectation for men to do this. Why is it that men have to do the sport well, but women have to do it well and look pretty/desirable while they do it.'

I've just seen a picture of three German gymnasts standing together and it struck me how they looked like sportswomen.

Don't get me wrong, I've never thought they weren't and I am in awe of the skill and strength gymnastics requires but this picture made them look like that in the same way as the men's outfits do. They aren't just "decorative"

My stance is, if the women have to wear bikini bottoms, then the men have to wear mankinis. I think that's fair...