Women's beach handball costumes

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

www.tellerreport.com/sports/2021-07-14-gets-pressured-to-play-in-bikini-bottoms--%22embarrassing-and-hopeless%22.ryzJlxt26d.html

This appears to be an English language version of an article in the Swedish press. I first saw reference to this issue on Twitter, where the sport mentioned was beach volleyball. Maybe that's a translation issue. The photos attached are from the Twitter thread. twitter.com/amalieskram/status/1415765005350445060?s=20

It could hardly be clearer that this women's sport is organised to attract a huge audience from men who just want to ogle the players. Norwegian women's team wants to wear a sensible comfortable kit and get told they will be disqualified if they don't wear the tiny little bikini pants.

Meanwhile the men wear board shorts.

This appears to apply to the European Championships but presumably could be an issue at the Olympics too.

Why do women have to wear such skimpy revealing kit when men in the equivalent events don't? See also: gymnastics, track and field (OK, they don't have to wear skimpy kit there, but a great many choose to - why? men don't).

[newnortherner111]

Now let's see who runs these events? Could it be men?

[GettingUntrapped]

Because if they are kind enough to make time and space for females to play this sport, the females must be almost naked so the men get something out of it too.

[OldHouseDilemma]

Surely some kind of legal case could be brought regarding this? I'd help the crowdfunder!

[IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves]

They don't have to.
As in there is absolutely no legitimate reason why women need to wear skimpy outfits to do the same sport as men can manage without being stuffed into a mankini.
It's rage inducing.

Tell me why men can do the bars perfectly well in trousers and women need the barely crotch covering outfit?

[thirdfiddle]

What they need is to get a non op transwoman on the team, shorts will be allowed in a blink of the eye.* Worked for gymnastics. Extract from British gymnastics trans inclusion policy:
"To ensure that male to female trans gymnasts are not identifiable, the rules for any domestic competition open to female gymnasts must permit any participants to wear gymnastics shorts or tights without deduction."

Do they not have any Muslim athletes come to that?

• obviously I don't actually think they should as it would be unfair, but it interestingly illustrates the relative worth placed on male and female dignity.

[nettie434]

I think the difference in how women and men dress for beach volleyball does apply to the Olympics too, Gasp0de. I remember the pictures from the 2012 Olympics when they played in Horse Guards Parade.

How can they get away with this sexist rubbish? Other sports allow women to wear different clothing for religious reasons. Having said that, even in track events, the women's outfits are more fitted.

There is a lot of pressure on women athletes to demonstrate their attractiveness as women. Becky Adlington has spoken about all the abuse she received. I hope those Norwegian women are able to wear what they choose.

[NonnyMouse1337]

It's all to cater to men's tastes and visual enjoyment. Men don't want to see other blokes' bums and crotch, so male athletes wear pragmatic sportswear that's comfortable and mostly covers them up.
Women's sporting is generally woefully underfunded, but hey they are eye candy (rather than serious professional athletes). The skimpy outfits highlight the mindset of those running the show that even in sports, women's bodies are there to be oogled at - to be revealed and exposed for male approval and consumption.

[DrJump]

I listened to an Australian volleyballer recently. She has competed at 4 Olympics. One of the things she said that stood out was she always planned movies as part of her recovery because it meant she could.be in the dark and not apply sunscreen.
So much more sunscreen for women than men!

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

That's a point. All that sun exposure must be a health and safety issue. Maybe women could complain on those grounds, as pointing out the inherent sexism here is clearly falling on deaf ears?

[YetAnotherSpartacus]

Of course women exist to give men erections. Why else?

[Naunet]

Men are allowed to play women’s sports, but women aren’t even allowed to play sport in men’s uniforms. All very fair for some reason that my lady brain can’t grasp, I’m sure….

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Bumping for people who had a lie in, unlike me!

[JurgenKloppsCat]

This is from the 2016 Rio Olympics. What has changed? Are Egypt no longer allowed to compete?

[Susannahmoody]

Nothing new there then

[AuntieStella]

The rules were modified in 2018. Women can compete in shorts, which must be no longer than 3cm above the knee (I think that's same length as for men)

Tops can be sleeved or sleeveless and do not have to be a bikini

It started off looking like beachwear because of the origins of the sport (and a bikini is way more practical than a swimsuit, though elite teams which can have made-to-measure wouldn't have the same difficulties with how long in the body they are)

So the question now has surely changed slightly - why are womend teams still choosing the bikini rather than the other options now available?

Habit? Or is it better sandproofing? Anyone play and know the pros and cons?

[JurgenKloppsCat]

This document seems to give women additional options, including full body tops, shorts and knee length cutoff shorts (diagrams in the appendices);

www.fivb.org/EN/BeachVolleyball/Document/2020/Rule50/FIVB_BVB_OG_Teams_Uniform_Guidelines_FINAL.pdf

[NiceGerbil]

There was a thing about this a year or 2 ago.

For teams that are in major competitions they wear the kit provided afaik. And maybe some rules?

There was something happened and the.. org said they could wear more covering stuff. But it was either head to toe (religious reasons) OR teeny.

I'll see if I can find it.

The clothes for other sports have been shrinking for ages. Tennis, athletes. So many clothes that go up your bum. That can't be comfy when running or doing gymnastics! I read that a woman got points deducted doing gymnastics for pulling her leotard out of her bum cheeks. Might have a look for that as well.

In many sports men's attire seen seems to have been getting more covering...

I don't buy the aerodynamic etc arguments tbh.

[NiceGerbil]

www.bustle.com/articles/171814-what-is-the-2016-olympic-beach-volleyball-dress-code-heres-how-the-rules-have-changed

One on the rules I got them a bit wonky but point stands.

[NiceGerbil]

The other point is that they are humans and both the men and women will be inclined to follow the norm, as in all sports.

There's also the point that an attractive athlete who wears skimpier clothes can attract additional revenue through modelling, more brands wanting to sponsor etc. Esp in tennis but probably other sports.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Yes, I'm sure this has to do with money and sponsorship. I suppose advertisers and sponsors calculate that most people watching sport are male and most of them are probably heterosexual, so women competitors should be dressed to draw the punters in, as not many men would watch women's sport qua sport. So grubby and disappointing that all concerned just go along with this.

[bundevac]

@JurgenKloppsCat

This is from the 2016 Rio Olympics. What has changed? Are Egypt no longer allowed to compete?

This is not about Beach Volleyball but Beach Handball.

[JurgenKloppsCat]

My mistake. It's wrong if it's true. But the OP also asked this;

Why do women have to wear such skimpy revealing kit when men in the equivalent events don't? See also: gymnastics, track and field (OK, they don't have to wear skimpy kit there, but a great many choose to - why? men don't).

And as others have mentioned, women sometimes have options, like volleyball and track & field, and yet choose brief outfits. Should we withdraw the outfits? Have unisex kit, or as close to it as possible? It isn't always about being forced to do so.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

How funny that there's currently a thread about a female athlete being upset that she has been told by an official that her skimpy pants are inappropriate and she wants to wear them.

[SleepingStandingUp]

You cant expect people to watch woken running around pretending to be good at men stuff like sports unless they're dressed to impressed. O mean we don't watch it for the skill do we? 😔

[JurgenKloppsCat]

You cant expect people to watch woken running around pretending to be good at men stuff like sports unless they're dressed to impressed. O mean we don't watch it for the skill do we?

Cricketers? Basketball players? Golfers? Runners? Archers? Weightlifters? Shotputters? Rowers? Tennis players? Baseball? Shooting? Swimming? Do these upset you too?