Sporting apparel rules - men and women - can anyone explain?

[SpeakUpXXWomen]

I am watching the European Athletics live from Glasgow and am struck by the difference in outfits worn by men and women. The blokes seem quite comfortable in a variety of shoulder to knee variations whereas the women are mostly in teeny tiny bikini type pants and cropped tank tops.

Is there a technical reason for this?

Jsmith the athletes we are talking about are women and girls!

You think they are a special different breed who are particularly keen to 'show off' their bodies???

In gymnastics, the men only wear trousers in the swinging events (pommel, high bars, parallel bars). The rest of the time they wear small shorts.

Women can have short sleeve or sleeveless leotards, they are less common but have been seen as national standard kit. In the rules, they can wear leggings but I don't think I've ever seen anyone do so. I have seen leotards with short shorts though, which are within the rules.

Sardine

Read my post again. I made no reference to women or girls.

To be fair, Florence Griffiths-Joyner, arguably the fastest woman of all time, didn't wear much more in the 80s.

Wrong picture hang on don't flame me!

Given the numbers who were wearing boy cut shorts i think the fashion is about to start changing.

There are rules about clothing in athletics , but nothing to dictate crop tops v vests or pants v shorts . The rules are mostly about advertising and sponsorship, size of letters, team colours etc

UK Athletics rules specifically say that even in team events there is nothing to preclude team clothing being of a different style eg length of vest, shape of collar , as long as they broadly correspond in colour or design.

So athletes will choose according to comfort, performance and style.

Jsmith the op said did anyone else notice that the women wear much less covering clothes than the men.

You said I expect they want to show their bodies off.

I find this comment v questionable.

Your assertion that you weren't taking about women and girls when that's what the thread is about, doesn't make any sense.

Unless you think it's normal to post about things completely ignoring the point and context of posts. In which case you will feel that your comments get misconstrued an awful lot.

The GB athletics team get to choose for major champs. They get the choice of vest, cropped top, knicker shorts, short cycling shorts, long shorts, baggier long distance shorts or leggings (and variations in between).

The photo is of Goldie Sayers a few years back in what the athletes can choose.

Sardine

What part of ‘I was referring to athletes, not specifically women and girls’ don’t you understand?

I don’t know how I can be any clearer....

I'm attempting to add photos 20 years apart mother and daughter. Actually the outfits don't really look that different.

Liz McColgan

i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/09/article-2290690-18880D90000005DC-947_634x896.jpg

Eilish McColgan

c8.alamy.com/comp/HK9NKT/eilish-mccolgan-of-gb-in-the-womens-1500m-at-the-2016-mller-anniversary-HK9NKT.jpg

This is Yvonne Murray in 1996. Not much different to now

Given that these women dedicate their lives to the sport, and that the difference between success and failure is as little as a few hundredths of a second, I can only assume they are wearing the best performing outfits for their body types. And female and male sprinters do have different bodies.

If the team kit only provides a limited choice for women then that's what they will have to wear.

When it's a low key one off international they tend to get a vest and shorts. I know England give their distance runners knicker shorts but not sure about GB or other teams. Major champs they get a choice (Olympics it's a huge thing where they go to 'kitting out' and choose them).

Liz 1996

Eilish 2016

Charlotte Edwards 1996:

www.womenscricket.net/images16/033-Charlotte%20Edwards.jpg

Charlotte Edwards 2017:

www.cricbuzz.com/i/news/fth/595x397/stories/2017/sep/2prv_1504319556.jpeg

"Given that these women dedicate their lives to the sport, and that the difference between success and failure is as little as a few hundredths of a second, I can only assume they are wearing the best performing outfits for their body types. And female and male sprinters do have different bodies."

No no no! They are doing it to show off their bodies.

Jsmith says so

Jsmith - I think it's you who are having a spot of bother following the conversation my friend, and why so chippy?

"I am watching the European Athletics live from Glasgow and am struck by the difference in outfits worn by men and women. The blokes seem quite comfortable in a variety of shoulder to knee variations whereas the women are mostly in teeny tiny bikini type pants and cropped tank tops.

Is there a technical reason for this?"

"I imagine that if I had worked incredibly hard over many years to get a body like that, I would be very proud of it and want to show it off."

I remember rolling my eyes at the launch of the Team GB kit for the 2012 Olympics. Men almost completely covered, women in skimpy stuff (though if I had abs like Jessica Ennis, I'd permanently wear a crop top )

"Is there a technical reason for this?"

The men's looser stuff is sub-optimal, because of the potential for chafing. But few men opt for tight-fitting Lycra, even for endurance events. I have no idea why they don't go for the better stuff. Though I think the tide might be turning a bit, as I'm seeing more appearing running events, though they often put 'modesty' baggies over

But few men opt for tight-fitting Lycra

Linford Christie...?

Pretty much all the males sprinters wear Lycra cycling shorts type outfits. It's the middle and long distance runners who wear the traditional looser running shorts.

"Linford Christie...?"

Boom!

Knocked it out of the park Olennas.

The first time I ever wore a skinsuit in a race (back in the eighties), I had to keep checking that I was actually wearing clothes