Beach Handball

[Canary42]

Proof that it's all about displaying the female form, nothing to do with real sport.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/handball/57890430

[ToraToraTora]

looks like this young lady is in the wrong sport!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/57887715

[jno]

indeed. Get your thighs out for the lads!

[calmck]

Obviously sexist to make female players wear bikinis. Do the men wear men thongs

[aelmpvw]

shorts on the beach 'improper clothing' :-)

[Cloverjo]

What about male divers wearing those teeny tiny “trunks”? They could wear shorts like the Norwegian handball team, couldn’t they?

[10ClarionSt]

This reminds of one visit to Florida we made a few years ago. We travelled to Clearwater Beach, the intention was just to chill out on the Gulf of Mexico for a few hours, but on arrival I was highly delighted to find that the Florida State Beach Volleyball Championships were taking place with free admission. Mrs Clarion was not impressed with my sudden new found interest in the sport, which was, of course, purely from sporting perspective. You understand, I'm sure.

[jno]

something creepy about all this policing of women's clothing; it's starting to feel like Tehran.

[Cloverjo]

Of course, Clarion. Funnily enough Mr Cloverjo also developed an interest in the sport while the Olympics was on last. ;)

[aelmpvw]

wasn't there an uproar in the 1930's when tennis players started wearing shorts instead of long trousers?

[Canary42]

At the ancient Greek Olympics (where it originated), I thought that the contestants were naked(men) or topless(women).

View this Degas painting in the National Gallery in London for possible "evidence" ;-)

https://ibb.co/X4Z8Cmv

[Ken4155]

Wonder what their union (the IBVPA) have to say about this?

[chelle7272]

That's different from Handball though isn't it?

[Canary42]

IBVPA = International Beach Volleyball Players Association

I had to google that ;-)

https://ibvpa.org

[chelle7272]

yes but this is beach handball, different organisation

[Canary42]

I've just come across an interesting clickbait headline for this item :-

"Fined for not wearing bikini bottoms"

No, mugs, it's not what you think.

[Ken4155]

Chelle, my bad. 10C's 11;58 post had me Googling the union for volleyball :-(

[jno]

ancient Greek women didn't compete at the games - in fact some say men had to be naked precisely to ensure they weren't female. As I recall, one woman did win as she was the owner of champion racehorses; slaves did the actual riding.

[Canary42]

/// ancient Greek women didn't compete at the games ///

Yes, that's right; I forgot that at the time women (like slaves and foreigners) were regarded as second class citizens and also weren't allowed to partake in the Dēmokratia process. Which makes it a bit ironic that the much-vaunted modern Democracy is named after this process. [going way off thread].

[jno]

male democracy was the norm until really quite recently. But at least when women were magnanimously granted the vote they didn't have to put up with men judging their pants.