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Sarah Voss drew everyone's attention.
At the start of the European Gymnastics Championships in Basel, the 21-year-old gymnast presented herself in an elegant black full-body suit on Wednesday and set a signal: Germany's gymnasts are fighting against sexualization in their sport.
"As part of the German national team, we are also a role model for many younger athletes and we would like to show them how they can present themselves aesthetically in a different form of clothing without feeling uncomfortable with certain elements," said the World Cup seventh on the beam.
On Friday in the final of the all-around competition, Elisabeth Seitz and Kim Bui from Stuttgart also want to go on the podium with their self-designed and hand-tailored long gymnastics suits.
Seitz recently criticized the fact that photos of her with suggestive motifs are published again and again.
At the start of the European Gymnastics Championships, Sarah Voss was the first German gymnast to take a stand in a full body suit against the sexualization of the sport
Source: dpa / Georgios Kefalas
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"They want to put the icing on the cake again and present their suits there," announced Voss.
Skimpy outfits are the rule
Your competition experience in the long outfit was positive.
“I'm proud to be able to wear the suit today.
I feel super comfortable, that's super comfortable.
I think it looks cool, ”said the German all-around champion.
Skimpy outfits, similar to a swimsuit, are common, which can be viewed by outsiders as provocative and which offend some gymnasts' feelings of shame.
"You move around a lot and don't always feel 100 percent well," emphasized Voss.
Now she and her teammates would like other athletes to follow their example.
“We first gave the impetus.
We are happy when others take up the innovation and we have set a trend, ”said Voss.
Ulla Koch, head coach of the German gymnasts, supports the action of their athletes
Source: dpa / Thomas Kienzle
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The idea for this came up last summer.
"Our cultural change started some time ago," reported Ulla Koch, head coach of the German gymnasts.
The reason was that an athlete came to her and said that she felt naked in the normal suit.
A trainer has to react to that.
“Our girls should feel good,” said Koch.
You've only seen a gymnast at a major event in a long time.
“A lot of people don't even know that we are allowed to do long gymnastics.” With their long suits, the German gymnasts have borrowed from outfits in rhythmic gymnastics.
Gymnast has photos deleted
Seitz recently complained in a SWR article that in women's gymnastics the line between aesthetics and sexualization is crossed again and again.
"People have to understand that beautiful gymnastics does not mean that you find it particularly awesome or that men find it very suggestive," said the 2016 Olympic fourth in Rio de Janeiro on the uneven bars.
Every now and then she finds photos of herself on the Internet, “which I don't like at all, precisely because my crotch was photographed”. It is difficult to have these images removed. If she sees such photos in newspapers, say something. "Gymnastics is far too beautiful to have to take a picture like this," said the 27-year-old.