Olympic Beach VolleyBall 2012: Bikinis Brought The Sexy To London Games
Bikinis, the uniforms worn by the beach volleyball women players, has always brought attention to the sport.
The players at the London Games brought even more attention to themselves when they embraced each other after scoring points and big wins.
The British media has been speculating if the intimacy among the players in public is part of an attention-getting scheme to win more fans.
The Daily Mail reports that the women's players 'were reaching for one another as they were for the ball.'
Reuters spoke to several players about how they felt about performing in bikinis after the debate came up on whether the players should wear bikinis if it rained.
"I'm OK with it. It's the only sport where the women dominate. If it starts with the bikini, fine," said Natalie Cook, Australia's gold medalist at Sydney in 2000. "I believe it shows the best side of the female body and I'm proud of how we look in it."
Team USA's star player Misty May-Treanor May-Treanor appreciates the attention:
"All the work we're putting in must be paying off because if they're so (interested in) what we're wearing it's like, yeah, we must have awesome bodies."
Reuters also reported that female dancers wore bikinis to perform in-between sets. The entertainment included the dancers writhing around the floor in sexy poses.
"The female body is a masterpiece. Everyone likes to look at the female body, especially in dynamic, athletic sport," added Cook.
A protest was held in London on Wednesday against women being used in sports to increase ticket sales by forcing them to wear bikinis.
"They are using women's bodies as sex. It is all about money. It makes women look like objects and it is a clear case of sexism," said Annie Sugier, spokeswoman for the International League for Women's Rights.
Some of the players disagree with this, pointing out the sport is the real appeal: "Once they see the athleticism of our sport they're hooked on it," said April Ross, May-Treanor's teammate.
