Goodbye bikinis. Women volleyball players at the 2012 London Olympics will not have to wear bikinis during competition. A new rule announced today states that female athletes will be allowed to wear shorts and t-shirts during this year’s World Games.
Yahoo reports that women volleyball players have been wearing bikinis since the sport was introduced at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Players were also allowed to wear body suits in colder weather.
The International Olympic Committee said that women may wear “shorts of a maximum length of (1.18 inches) above the knee, and sleeved or sleeveless tops.”
Richard Baker, a spokesman for the International Volleyball Federation, said that the rule change was made out of respect for the cultural beliefs of some of the countries that will be participating at the Olympics. Baker said:
“Many of these countries have religious and cultural requirements, so the uniform needed to be more flexible.”
This year’s Olympic games will also see another change for women’s volleyball. Unlike past world games, the competition will not be decided by world rankings. Instead, several qualifying tournaments will be held to determine the field. The new rule will also be in place for the five Continental Cup qualifying competitions which involve more than 14o nations.
