Daily US Times: German gymnastics team wore full-body suits in women’s qualification at the Tokyo Olympics as they continued their stand against the sexualisation of their sport.
Female gymnasts have worn bikini-cut leotards for decades. However, in qualifying on Sunday, the German gymnastics team instead wore unitards that stretched to their ankles, in an attempt to push back against sexualisation of women in gymnastics.
The Tokyo Olympics are the first Summer Games since former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar, was sent to prison for 176 years for sexually abusing hundreds of gymnasts, including some of the sport’s greatest stars.
At his trial, athletes — some of them participated in Olympics — described how the sport’s culture allowed for objectification and abuse of young girls and women.
Male gymnasts wear singlets, which is comparatively body-covering clothes with loose shorts for their floor exercise and vault, and long pants on bar and pommel horse routines.
The German gymnasts first wore unitards in April at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Sarah Voss, a German, said they were not sure they would decide to wear them again during Olympics until they got together before the meet.
The 21-year-old Voss said: “We sat together today and said, OK, we want to have a big competition. We want to feel amazing, we want to show everyone that we look amazing.”
The German gymnastic team’s wardrove revolution, while widely appreciated, has not so far started a trend. Leotards that leave the legs bare were worn by every other female gymnast during qualifying at the current Olympics.
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