- TV viewers are strongly opposed to changes in sports in Paris
- Events are played in a stadium at the foot of the Eiffel Tower
Angry Olympic spectators have been branded sexist after taking to social media to vent their anger over beach volleyball players who swapped their bikini bottoms for leggings in Paris.
Previously, female beach volleyball players had to wear bikini bottoms. The International Olympic Committee had even determined that the bottoms had to be very narrow. According to the official rules, the bottoms could not be wider than 7 cm at the sides.
For the Paris Olympics, those rules were thrown out the window and athletes were allowed to compete in more modest leggings, sparking a storm on social media.
Many viewers have been labelled ‘sexist’ and ‘creepy’ for complaining about the lack of bikini bottoms, simply because they wanted to stare at the athletes.
‘So I’ve had to watch men dressed as women at the opening ceremony and now women in leggings playing beach volleyball. Worst Olympics ever,’ one person posted.
“Add that to the list of reasons why I don’t watch the Olympics,” fumed another.
“Leggings in beach volleyball are a fucking crime,” raged another.
There were also many insulting and misogynistic comments, which the Mail did not publish.
The Czech Republic was one country that took advantage of the rule change by wearing leggings when temperatures remained low during a Parisian summer (Marie-Sara Stochlova, pictured)
Angry Olympic fans took to social media to complain about the change to beach volleyball, while other viewers dismissed their complaints as sexist whining
Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho Del Solar kept their bikini bottoms on but wore modest clothing to protect themselves from the French cold
Other viewers were quick to respond, calling the predominantly male social media users who complained about the change “sexist.”
“It’s high time the women’s volleyball uniforms match the men’s… the sexiest outfits of any Olympics were seen in women’s beach volleyball,” one wrote.
“Congratulations to the female athletes who fought so hard to be allowed to wear pants while playing beach volleyball,” a second fan modestly added.
“And all those creepers who are disappointed… disgusting. Go away. They didn’t want you to look anyway.”
Why was the rule regarding beach volleyball clothing changed anyway?
Some viewers have pointed out that the climate in France is not suitable for the scanty bikini bottoms of the past.
“The temperature at night was 60 degrees Fahrenheit/15-18 degrees Celsius… and it rained all day. A little chilly at night,” someone explained.
‘Look at what everyone on the pitch is wearing. It looks VERY cold. Australia played with jackets on,’ added another.
American duo Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng stayed true to the previous style of uniforms despite the unusually low temperatures in the Olympic city
While women traditionally wear bikinis in beach volleyball at the Olympics, men are now allowed to wear singlets and shorts
Others said the fact that Australia were playing China could influence the choice of outfit.
“The weather is awful, and maybe that’s because it’s China and there’s more cultural modesty,” one viewer suggested.
More viewers were enthusiastic about the measure, saying it was more practical for the athletes.
“Female volleyball players have spoken at length about how those tiny bikini bottoms are distracting because they’re constantly at risk of flying off when they dive into the sand. I’m shocked that leggings aren’t the standard,” one Reddit user said.
However, some think it was simply because the athletes were tired of being viewed as objects.
“That’s because they were tired of showing their vaginas on TV,” one person wrote.
Egyptian women went a step further in covering their faces, wearing long sleeves, long pants and a headscarf, as 90 percent of the population is Sunni.
But some countries still wore the bikinis of the past, confusing viewers.
‘I’m confused about the women’s beach volleyball uniform. Some are wearing leggings. Others are wearing the micro bikini,’ someone posted.