Thoughts About the New Olympic Protests

I truly believe that these women are making a change.

Have you heard about the past news? Not only were there new sports in the Olympic Games but also stereotypes wanted to be broken.

If you didn't know, Germany has a women's team that decided to use full-length leotards in gymnastics. The traditional is the half-body one so when somebody else wears something totally different, it makes a statement right away.

But not only Germany participated but Norway also chimed in and changed their uniforms. The national team for Beach Handball also had enough of the sexualization of the sport. They decided to use shorts instead of the required bikini.

But why did they all made the decision to do so? It has been years and years with the same uniform…so why change now?

What they all wanted to achieve was to be able to change the game…so they can be comfortable in their own sport. They want to make people recognize the sport because of the athletic features, not because of the outfit.

And as Elizabeth Seitz, one of the German gymnasts said to CNN:

“… it’s about feeling comfortable.”

You can still present yourself aesthetically even in a full-length bodysuit. Every woman has to be able to decide what to wear.

And for all of the beach handball women players, how did you manage to play rough for so many years in a tiny winy bikini? I could sometimes even feel the awkwardness in these competitions.

With this said, I believe that these type of protests are what matters. They can change the game for everybody else. The ironic thing is that by them expressing themselves, they were getting fined. It was determined that they still needed to fulfill the uniform guidelines.

Of course, the Committee overseeing these situations said that they were too busy with the overall Olympics to concentrate on this specific matter. For this, even the great singer Pink has shown her contribution to the story. She will pay the fines.

I truly believe that these Tokyo Games will be a game-changer.

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The best we can do is spread the word. Talk to some acquaintances about the recent decisions that some teams have made regarding their professional uniforms.

I have joined in with the conversation and have listened to other women say that it's correct for them to be fined because it's against the rules which define their outfits for each sport. What do you think? Is it a valid movement? Do you also agree that sometimes there are stereotypes that even women just get accustomed to?

A New Triumph for the Ladies!

It has been a few months now since the first Olympic protest but the International Handball Federation has changed its decision and has listened to these pro-athletes.

The new allowed apparels are bike shorts and tank tops, bye-bye uncomfortable bikinis! I believe that with this change, now everyone can watch these matches for the love of the sport.

Just imagine yourself on the beach, you start to play soccer, volleyball, whatever sport, while wearing your bikini, of course, there will be wardrobe malfunctions if you’re not careful…and it's just playing. This is nothing compared to professional settings.

Even though I’m not directly benefitted from these new changes, I am so so happy. Women are demanding rightful changes in every matter! I’m glad sports is not getting behind.

This is great news but I still linger over the “body fit” and “tight” shorts regulations lol…

“I hope this is the beginning of the end of sexism and objectification of women and girls in sport,” said Stone, who led Collective Shout’s 2012 campaign against the Lingerie Football League. “And that in future all women and girls will be free to participate in sport without fear of wardrobe malfunctions and sexual harassment.”

This article was written thanks to the following websites:

• NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympics/female-athletes-grabbing-spotlight-olympics-political-social-demonstrations-n1275222
• The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/01/handball-federation-changes-uniform-rules-after-pressure-over-sexist-bikini-rule