- TV viewers have lashed out over change to the sport in Paris
- Events are being played at stadium at the foot of the Eiffel Tower
Angry Olympics viewers have been called out as sexists after taking to social media to fume over beach volleyball players ditching bikini bottoms for leggings in Paris.
Previously, women’s beach volleyball players were forced to wear the bikini bottoms with the International Olympic Committee even mandating how skimpy they were, with official rules stating they could not be more than 7cm on the sides.
Those rules were torn up for the Paris Olympics, with athletes now allowed to compete in more modest leggings – creating a social media firestorm.
Plenty of viewers have been labelled ‘sexist’ and ‘creeps’ for complaining about the absence of bikini bottoms purely because they wanted to gawk at the athletes.
‘So I’ve had to watch blokes dressed as women at the opening ceremony and now women wearing leggings in the beach volleyball. Worst Olympics ever,’ one posted.
‘Add it to the list of reasons as to why I’m not watching the Olympics,’ fumed another.
‘Leggings in beach volleyball is a god d*** crime,’ raged yet another.
There were also plenty of offensive and misogynistic comments that the Mail has elected not to publish.
The Czech Republic was one nation that took advantage of the rule change to wear leggings as temperatures stayed low for a Paris summer (Marie-Sara Stochlova, pictured)
Angry Olympic fans took to social media to complain about the change to beach volleyball – while other viewers slammed their complaints as sexist whining
Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho Del Solar kept the bikini bottoms, but wore modest clothing to protect against the French chill
Other viewers were quick to clap back and brand the mostly male social media users complaining about the change as ‘sexist’.
‘It’s about time the women’s uniforms in volleyball matched the men’s…the most sexist outfits in all of the Olympics were in women’s beach volleyball,’ one posted.
‘Congratulations to the female athletes who fought so hard to be able to wear pants while they play beach volleyball,’ a second fan of modesty added.
‘And into all the creepers who are disappointed…gross. Go away. They didn’t want you watching anyway.’
So why was the rule on beach volleyball attire changed in the first place?
Some viewers have pointed out that the weather in France is not suitable for the skimpy bikini bottoms of the past.
‘Temperature at night was in the 60s F/15-18C…and it was raining all day. Kinda chilly at night,’ one explained.
‘Have a look what all court side people are wearing. It looks VERY cold. Australia were playing with jackets on,’ added another.
The United States pairing of Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng stuck with the previous style of uniforms despite the unseasonably low temperatures in the Olympic city
While women have traditionally worn bikinis in beach volleyball at the Olympics, men have been allowed to wear singlets and shorts
Others said the fact Australia was playing China may have had a bearing on the choice of attire.
‘The weather is miserable, and it may also be simply because its China and there is more cultural modesty,’ a viewer suggested.
More viewers applauded the move, saying it was more practical for the athletes.
‘Female volleyball players have talked at length about how those tiny bikini bottoms are distractions for them because they are constantly at risk of flying off when they dive into the sand. I’m shocked that leggings aren’t the standard,’ a Reddit user said.
However some believe it might be simply because the athletes were tired of being objectified.
‘It’s because they were tired of showing their vaginas on television,’ one posted.
The Egypt women took covering up to another level, wearing full sleeves and long pants along with hijabs because 90 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim.
But some nations were still wearing the bikinis of the past, leaving viewers puzzled.
‘I’m confused at the women’s beach volleyball uniform. Some wear leggings. Some wear the micro bikini,’ one posted.
