While the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games are just beginning, the clothing of female athletes has already sparked several controversies during the preparatory phase of the event. 

Two-time Paralympic World Champion Olivia Breen was accused by an official of wearing "too short and inappropriate" underpants during the long jump event at the English Championships on July 18.

Olympic swimmer Alice Dearing, for her part, was opposed to a ban on wearing a swimming cap for her natural black hair at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. Finally, for shorts deemed too long, the Norwegian women's team beach handball player received a fine from his Federation.

Why are the outfits of female athletes subject to such strict rules?

What are they the symptom of?

Decryption. 

"Litigious" panties 

For the British Paralympian Olivia Breen, the remark does not pass: "She (the official) told me that I should consider wearing shorts because my pants were too short" she explains to France 24. " I was so surprised and stunned that I asked her if she was joking. She said no, and insisted that I buy some shorts. " To denounce this incident, which took place after the long jump of the English championships, in Bedford, on July 18, the Welsh Olympic athlete cracked a furious message on Twitter. Emphasizing a double standard regarding sports dress codes, Olivia Breen wondered if male athletes would have been subjected to the same level of requirement. 

 “I have been wearing the same style of sprint pants for many years,” she said in her post. "I recognize that there must be rules and guidelines for competitive dress, but women shouldn't have to feel embarrassed about what they wear during events, they should feel comfortable wearing it. comfortable and comfortable. " 

The 24-year-old says she was in full compliance with the regulations on sportswear, which allows athletes in her discipline to wear their sponsor's clothes (the pants), as long as they also wear a club jacket. or that of their national team. As long as their outfits are not "objectionable or transparent". "We are in 2021, we are not in the 18th century", she asserts, during an interview for France 24. "We should not tell me what I can or cannot wear". 

Olivia Breen has filed a formal complaint with England Athletics, the governing body for athletics in England, but she says she has not received a response.

The young athlete is due to compete in the Tokyo Paralympic Games next August and intends to wear the "litigious" underpants.

"I'm not going to let them stop me from wearing them. I will wear them to Tokyo," she insists. 

Racial and clothing discrimination  

The Olivia Breen affair is by no means unique. Alice Dearing, the first black swimmer to represent Team Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, will not be allowed to wear the specially designed swim cap for natural dark hair she has promoted. Earlier this month, the International Swimming Federation (Fina) banned the use of this equipment specially designed to protect dreadlocks, afros, weaves, braids and thick curly hair for the 2021 Games. Soul Cap, the company behind these swimming caps, has been informed by Fina that its product does not adapt to "the natural shape of the head". THE'company deplored a decision which “reinforces cultural barriers” vis-à-vis “blacks and in particular black women with longer or thicker hair.” At the beginning of July, the Federation undertook to study the file judging the issue of "inclusiveness" important but has not made any announcements since.

Another sanction targeting the outfits of female athletes, the European Handball Federation (EHF) fined the Norwegian women's beach handball team 1,500 euros for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms during the World Championships. 'Euro 2021. Calling the case "inappropriate dress", the EHF said the players failed to comply with the regulations on athlete uniforms set by the International Handball Federation, which require women to wear stockings. bikini "fitted well and cut at an angle upward to the top of the leg". Male beach handball players, on the other hand, are free to wear shorts up to 10 centimeters above the knee, as long as they are not "too loose".Although beach handball is not one of the disciplines of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, this case is further proof of the discriminatory nature of sports regulations.     

Behind “equity”, aesthetics and business  

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the authority responsible for organizing the Olympic Games, says it is not responsible for establishing and enforcing dress regulations.

It is up to the international federations of each sport to decide on the appropriate outfit for each gender.

According to the latest Olympic Charter published by the IOC, they have "the sole and exclusive authority to prescribe and determine the clothing and uniforms to be worn, as well as the equipment to be used, by the members of their delegations on the occasion of Olympic Games". 

International sports federations do not make public their criteria for regulating sports uniforms. France 24 attempted to contact Fina and England Athletics for comment, but received no response. Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, professor at the University of Toronto and author of "The Olympic Games: A Critical Approach", says uniformity decisions are based on "practical considerations. linked to the demands of sport "," traditional roots such as gi for martial arts "or gender differentiation. Some federations also claim that their decisions are purely performance-based, or that they guarantee fairness.  

Helen Jefferson Lenskyj nevertheless considers that there is indeed gender discrimination, especially since many federations are still largely headed by men. “Sports judged on aesthetics, such as figure skating, have dress codes that conform to the often stereotypical view judges have of what a 'female' skater should look like. The uniform rules for women's beach volleyball are based solely on heterosexual sex appeal, ”she explains.      

"What is clear is that it is largely commercial," said Janice Forsyth, former director of the International Center for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario, contacted by France 24. "[The federations international] try to appeal to what they think is a heterosexual male audience, they try to titillate them into watching female sports, arguing that this increases interest and thus makes the sport more lucrative by potentially attracting sponsors and television contracts or even corporate sponsorships for athletes. "  

If they wished, the international federations could act quickly to change the regulations relating to uniforms for women.

According to Janice Forsyth, the fact that they choose not to do so is purely related to marketing considerations.  

Tip of the iceberg 

While not all Olympic sports are housed in the same boat, many of them have a controversial history when it comes to the uniform regulations for female athletes.

Swimming, athletics, badminton, boxing, gymnastics, and beach volleyball, for example, have particularly poor backgrounds.  

Just before the London 2012 Olympics, the International Amateur Boxing Association attempted to make female boxers wear skirts instead of shorts. Their reasoning was that spectators would be able to more easily distinguish between female and male boxers, as they could not "tell the difference". The suggestion sparked outrage as well as an online petition, launched by London amateur boxer Elizabeth Plank calling for women to be free to choose what to wear in the ring. After collecting more than 57,000 signatures, the decision was changed and the boxers were able to choose between shorts and a skirt.  

In the same year, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) changed its dress code. Prior to this change, players were required to wear bikinis or bodysuits during matches. But in the face of mounting criticism, the FIVB issued new rules allowing women to wear shorts and sleeved tops out of respect for the "religious and cultural demands" of some participating countries. Conversely, in 2011, prior to the London Olympics, the World Badminton Federation decided that female athletes playing at an elite level should wear dresses or skirts as they felt this would create a "more presentation. attractive ". 

If the question of sports uniforms has become a subject of debate in recent years through committed personalities, discrimination vis-à-vis female athletes is far from new, especially when it comes to women. Olympic Games. After decades of being banned from competing, female athletes, finally allowed to compete, were tested to verify that they were indeed women. Today, even as the IOC prides itself on promoting inclusiveness, female athletes are still subject to more draconian checks than their male counterparts. 

 "We're only scratching the surface," says Janice Forsyth of Western University.

"If even the uniforms cause controversy and debate, imagine what one might find by digging into the subject of discrimination". 

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR