If this goes too far & I'm still alive for the next Olympics, I won't be watching the 'good' female sports!
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Women gymnasts representing Germany opted to wear full-length bodysuits during qualification rounds at the Tokyo Olympics on July 25, in part to send a message on the world stage: Stop sexualizing women athletes.
'We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable,' said German gymnast Sarah Voss regarding the team's use of ankle-length, form-fitting leotards instead of suits that cut high at the hip. 'We show everyone that they can wear whatever they want and look amazing, feel amazing, whether it is in a long leotard or a short one.'
The German gymnastic teammates are the latest women athletes to take a stand against uniforms that they say are more revealing and uncomfortable than clothing required from their male counterparts. Recently, women athletes from the Norwegian handball team vocalized their disapproval of the bikini bottoms they were required to wear during an international European competition, instead opting for form-fitting shorts, even at the risk of being fined.
The German team's full-length suits, which were first worn this past April at the European Gymnastics Championship, are to stop the 'sexualization' of women athletes in gymnastics, according to the German Gymnastics Federation. 'The aim is to present themselves aesthetically—without feeling uncomfortable.' Under international rules, women gymnasts are permitted to wear full-body suits as long as the colors uniformly match.
