At The Olympics, Germany’s Gymnasts Wore Unitards As A Protest Against Sexualisation

At the Olympic Games in Tokyo at the weekend, Germany's gymnasts used their choice of clothing to stage something of a protest. During a team qualifying round on Sunday, the athletes chose to wear unitards rather than the more common leotards, which are cut high up to the thigh. They first wore the suits in April for the European championships, at which time the German Federation said its athletes were taking a stand against the 'sexualisation' in the sport.

Speaking to the BBC back in April, Germany's Sarah Voss said: 'Everyone should feel safe, everyone should feel like they are judged for their performance and not for their body. Especially when they are young, especially when they are growing.'

Previously, women and girls participating in international gymnastics competitions have only covered their legs for religious reasons but Voss said she hoped more would follow her lead. 'To do splits and jumps, sometimes the leotards are not covering everything, sometimes they slip and that's why we invented a new form of leotard so that everyone feels safe around competitions and training... It does not say that everyone should do it, it just says that everyone can do whatever they want.'

The German team's decision to wear the suits comes a week after double Paralympic world champion sprinter and long jumper Olivia Breen revealed on Twitterthat, at the English Championships, she was told that her sprint briefs were 'too short and inappropriate.' Breen, who will be competing at the Paralympics next month wrote: I recognise that there needs to be regulations and guidelines in relation to competition kit but women should not be made to feel self-conscious about what they are wearing when competing, but should feel comfortable and at ease.’

At the same time, Norway's beach handball team were fined £1,295 for ‘improper clothing’ because they chose to wear shorts instead of skimpy bikini bottoms at the European Beach Handball Championships. As Anna Silverman wrote forGrazia__ last week, 'It's farcical, and even a slight blessing, that both of these stories have broken in the same week, highlighting just how impossible the requirements are for women in sport who are literally stuck in a stalemate with the clothing police.'

The Olympics itself has also come under fire for not allowing swimming caps designed to fit natural Black hair. Soul Cap, a Black-owned brand, makes the hats, which were rejected by the International Swimming Federation (Fina), which said that the caps did not fit 'the natural form of the head' and to their 'best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require … caps of such size and configuration'.

Thanks to the widespread uproar and criticism of Fina's decision, Soul Cap said on Twitterthat 'FINA have apologised, pledged to review its application process, and offered their full support throughout the next submission in September.'

Change is possible. Let's just hope it happens sooner rather than later when it comes to the policing of women's bodies in sport.

READ MORE: How Can Female Athletes Be Told To Wear Bikini Bottoms In The Same Week Olivia Breen Was Told Her Briefs Were ‘Too Short’?

READ MORE: Candice Brathwaite: 'Black Hair Has Been Policed And Ostracised For Too Long'