The highly anticipated Tokyo Olympic Games has just come to an end, and people haven’t recovered from the hearty competition, and the sports world is once again in turmoil. According to reports, several European sports organizations demanded the resignation of the presidents of international and European handball federations, accusing them of asking female athletes to wear bikinis as "blatant gender discrimination", and public opinion was in an uproar. Previously, at the European Beach Handball Championship held in July, Norwegian women players were fined 1,500 euros for violating the regulations because of "improper dress".
It is worth noting that the "improper dress" here is not because the athletes are exposed too much or wearing strange clothes, but because they are not wearing bikinis! It is stipulated in this sport that female athletes must wear bikini trunks, while male athletes can wear shorts. After the penalty, the Norwegian Handball Federation filed a formal complaint against the regulation, but eventually paid a fine for each player. This matter is constantly fermenting on the Internet, and netizens said that it is hard to imagine that "there will be such a stupid idea now". This medieval mentality is simply a mockery of sportsmanship. In the end, the European Handball Federation was forced to refund the fine. However, anger has swept the sports world, and many sports organizations have jointly asked the person in charge of the event to step down.
This kind of behavior is just like the previous "Ukrainian female soldiers were asked to wear high heels to participate in the military parade". The purpose is nothing more than to make some people feel pleasing to the eye. Isn’t the double dress requirement for female athletes ignoring sportsmanship? As the president of the Italian Association for the Promotion and Defence of the Rights of Female Athletes said, shameful gender discrimination is destroying the sport and the reputation of international sports federations.
In fact, female athletes have always been featured when they participate in sports competitions. In 2011, the International Badminton Federation asked female athletes to wear short skirts or trousers to help restore people’s declining interest in women’s badminton. Coincidentally, in track and field, beach volleyball and tennis, women are required to wear more revealing clothes. In the long run, female athletes’ choice of what clothes to wear when participating in sports has been faced with judgments from all walks of life. However, the "dress code" of these female athletes has become the main obstacle for some women to pursue sports. Beach volleyball players were required to wear bikinis in the Olympic Games before 2012, but this violated the traditions of some Muslim countries, so athletes from these countries could not show their strength and grace on the international stage.
Fortunately, in order to show that sports are more culturally inclusive, FIVB began to change the rules and add various clothing combinations. For example, in the 2016 Olympic Games, Egyptian women’s volleyball players competed in trousers and long sleeves. At the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in April this year, German gymnasts did not wear traditional triangle costumes, but wore tight jumpsuits, which were still elegant and beautiful. The media called her move "sportswear revolution". What Norwegian female athletes want is "shorts freedom", and they just want to choose the most comfortable clothes to compete. In other sports, female athletes have the same demands and have been making efforts to this end.
In a word, the dress code of competitive sports should not exploit women’s rights, and it is understandable to have clear dress code for professional athletes, but double standards are absolutely unacceptable. The dress code should serve the athletes and help them to perform better in the competition, instead of becoming a stumbling block. It doesn’t matter what a female athlete wears, what matters is her strength. It is the first thing to show the beauty of sports and the spirit of human beings beyond the limit.