With the Paralympics well underway, many people have been looking back at the successes of the Tokyo Olympics and the achievements of the athletes who have trained and competed through the global pandemic. However, for many women, the Olympics has once again resurfaced the age-old debate: why can’t women be in control of what they wear? Whilst competing in the European Beach Handball Championships prior to the Olympics, the Norwegian Beach Volleyball team was penalised for wearing shorts that were… too long. Yes, you read that correctly. After decades of being told to cover up, these women were fined for not showing enough skin. 

The uniform rules for beach volleyball are very specific. For men, they must wear shorts that are no longer than 4 inches above the knee – a fairly reasonable ask for many. In contrast, the female uniforms are much skimpier, requiring bikini bottoms that are no more than 4 inches on either side. Despite the fact that these professional athletes are all in incredible shape, it is impossible to expect all women to be comfortable wearing such revealing clothing, particularly whilst participating in movement-heavy sport. The Norwegian team chose to protest this rule, and in their bronze medal match against Spain, switched their bikini bottoms for shorts (still skin tight and relatively short, if you were to ask my grandma). However, this rule breach resulted in a €1500 fine. 

The fine issued to the Norwegian team has highlighted the overt sexism which remains in sports today. Singer P!nk took to Twitter to show her support for the team, writing, ‘I’m VERY proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team FOR PROTESTING THE VERY SEXIST RULES ABOUT THEIR “uniform”’, even offering to cover the cost of the fine for the team. 

The unabashed sexism of the uniform rules is only emphasised by the fact that Paralympian Olivia Breen was informed at the English Championships that her shorts were too short when competing in the long jump. Breen made a statement on Twitter, commenting: ‘women should not be made to feel self-conscious about what they are wearing when competing but should feel comfortable and at ease’. The criticism over the athletes clothing caused her to question whether her briefs were only viewed as inappropriate owing to her gender; however, in light of recent events with the Norwegian volleyball team, it brings into question whether Breen’s disability may have caused her to be subject to additional discrimination. This conveys the fact that although sexism remains a big issue in sport, the added ableism faced by disabled athletes only adds to their struggles. 

The issue is difficult, as it may feel like there are bigger fish to fry than the length of shorts in sport – for instance, a German volleyball duo threatened to boycott a tournament in Qatar because they attempted to make them wear sand trousers rather than bikini bottoms. Perhaps it would have been nice to see athletes boycott events in Qatar owing to the fact that homosexuality is still illegal in the country, rather than solely because they were concerned about being too hot. However, it is not the length of the shorts which is the true issue, but the problem lies in the fact that women are being forced to wear clothing in which they are uncomfortable, whether that be shorts that are too short or too long for their personal preference. It comes back to the same debate which fills the society in which we live: why can’t women have control over their own bodies?

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