NZ gymnasts can now wear shorts over their leotards – why is this a big deal for female athletes?
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Tuesday, April 9, 2024
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No longer will competitive gymnasts be penalised for accidentally revealing their underwear while performing.
Key Points:
- No longer will competitive gymnasts be penalised for accidentally revealing their underwear while performing.
- Prior to this, female gymnasts could have points deducted from their final score for unintentional dress code violations while in action.
Dress code pushbacks
- It’s hardly surprising to hear this, since women’s sport uniforms have traditionally been tailored for men, making some athletes uncomfortable.
- Dress code pushbacks from female athletes led to worldwide outrage in July 2021, when Norway’s beach handball team was fined €1,500 (A$2,407) for wearing shorts instead of regulation bikini bottoms at a European Championship match.
- In 2021, there were also dress code protests by female performers at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Switzerland.
Global sexual abuse of young gymnasts
- A Netflix documentary called “Athlete A” proceeded in June 2020, detailing sexual abuse within USA Gymnastics and the failure of the sport to address this.
- More than 400 submissions by traumatised UK gymnasts were subsequently documented in the 2022 Whyte Review, exposing widespread physical, emotional and sexual abuse by coaches.
Why do dress codes matter?
- This is not just about dress codes, it’s about choice – when female athletes are given uniform choices, they are empowered and given a voice.
- Recent research involving more than 3,000 girls across eight countries confirmed sports uniforms are an important influence on girls’ engagement in physical activity.
Baby steps
- Sex offenders in women’s gymnastics coaching circles, and archaic inappropriate dress codes for female athletes, confirm the patriarchy is alive and well in the institution of sport.
- It’s all connected – girls and women participate in a male-dominated system that has pervasive and enduring gender inequities.
Rachael Jefferson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.