Explainer: Why Olympic beach volleyball players wear bikinis

Attention to bikinis intensified in Tokyo after a viral social media post mistakenly identified a team protesting a beach handball dress code as playing beach volleyball. (Image: AP)

No, members of women’s teams are not required to wear bikinis when playing beach volleyball at the Olympics.

Yes, TV cameras tend to linger on their buttocks when they hold their hands behind their backs to transmit signals to each other. And no, that’s not a problem for players who believe those who see the sport will stay.

“I’ve always felt that when you attract someone, however you get them involved in beach volleyball, they fall in love with the sport,” said three-time Olympian April Ross of the United States of America. “So, I hope that will happen too.”

Beach volleyball has been one of the most popular sports at the Summer Games since it was added to the program in 1996. It has fast-paced action, a party atmosphere and telegenic American stars who marched on the podium to win six. of the 12 possible. Gold medals.

But there is no doubt that some who tune in to the TV are there to watch the ladies as they jump and dive on the sand in their bikinis. In 2012, the London tabloids released photos from the beach volleyball site with no scenery or peak in sight; it was also the goal of then-mayor and current British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who wrote a column in a guest newspaper during the Olympics in his city.

Attention to bikinis intensified in Tokyo after a viral social media post mistakenly identified a team protesting a beach handball dress code as playing beach volleyball. Beach handball, which is not an Olympic sport, forces women to wear bikinis, and the European federation has fined the Norwegians for wearing shorts in protest during a competition at 5,500 miles. there in Bulgaria.

In Tokyo this week, the German gymnastics team wore full body suits that reached down to the ankles, eschewing the traditional bikini cut that ends high on the hip. The athletes said they are trying to tackle the sexualization of young women and girls in their sport, which is trying to recover from a sexual abuse scandal that has spanned decades.

The broadcast manager at the Tokyo Games said this week that their feeds will not highlight the sexualized images of female athletes, but will instead focus on “athletic appeal, not sex appeal.”

But beach volleyball players embrace their gear – and to them, gear is precisely what bikinis are – and choose it in almost any circumstance over a more conservative outfit.

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

The FIVB has issued 22 pages of uniform guidelines for Tokyo, covering everything from fabric and colour to names and numbers and sizes to manufacturers’ logos. Teammates must also match.

An appendix contains drawings of potential styles for women, including short sleeves and tank tops, long sleeves for modesty and long sleeves for warmth, long pants and shorts, and a one-piece or one-piece swimsuit. bikini. Men wear tank tops and board shorts, which can be worn over long-sleeved shirts and tights in cold weather.

There are also options for teams with religious dress codes.

“The FIVB beach volleyball uniform guidelines allow for a variety of different options,” said the international federation. “Beach volleyball is open to everyone, and these uniform regulations ensure that our sport is culturally and religiously inclusive. “

WAIT – THERE IS ALSO THE MEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL?

Although the female side of the sport has traditionally received more attention – including prime-time broadcast slots in the United States – a mirrored male tournament has shared the sand at every Olympics since the sport joined. the Summer Games in Atlanta.

Although men wear tank tops and swimsuits at the Olympics and on the international tour, they can play shirtless on the AVP national tour. Many choose to do so.

SO WHY BIKINIS?

“Beach volleyball was a sport that developed in Hawaii and Southern California and on the beaches of Rio,” said Ross. “And you’re playing, and it’s hot, and then you’re going to jump in the water.”

One-piece swimsuits will not work, as sand gets inside and irritates; in fact, players say, the less material that can trap sand, the better. Ross and his partner Alix Klineman, who helped design their own uniforms, also said it was important that the straps didn’t restrict his movement or breathing.

“For us, that’s what’s most comfortable,” Klineman said. “You don’t wear more clothes in very hot weather; getting sand stuck in places is no fun. But I totally respect other people who want more coverage if that’s what makes them more comfortable.

Beach volleyball matches also take place in all kinds of weather conditions, including rain from the leading edge of Typhoon Nepartak which dampened the Skiokaze park site this week. In Beijing, the Olympic championship was played in pouring rain.

“That,” said American Misty May-Treanor, who was drenched but with a gold to show, “is just another reason we play in swimsuits.”

DO THE PLAYERS EVER WEAR ANYTHING ELSE?

Some teams wore leggings and long sleeves under their uniforms on the cooler nights of 2012, dismaying the London tabloids, but even then most opted for traditional swim shorts and bikinis.

Four years later, after the FIVB extended Olympic qualifying in a bid to expand the sport to new countries, the Egyptians played with long sleeves, a loose top, long pants and hijabs to cover their necks. head.

“I have been wearing the hijab for 10 years,” said Doaa Elghobashy, a member of her country’s first beach volleyball team to compete in the Olympics.

“It doesn’t take me away from the things I love to do,” she said. “And beach volleyball is one of them.”