Beach volleyball: players will be able to wear bikinis during tournament in Qatar

A controversy for nothing?

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) assured Tuesday evening that the bikinis, usual outfits for beach volleyball players, will not be banned during the Doha tournament in March, while the German pair Borger / Sude had announced their intention to boycott the tournament.

Previously, the Qatari Volleyball Federation (QVA), organizer of the tournament, had assured in a statement that it had made no request in this direction.

Qatar will host its first major women's beach volleyball tournament from March 8 to 12, after hosting a men's competition for seven years, and in 2019 the World Beach Games, where players were allowed to wear swimsuits.

In a statement sent to AFP on Tuesday evening, the FIVB indicated that it was in contact with the Qatari Volleyball Federation (QVA), which confirmed to it that there are no restrictions on the outfit of the players.

The controversy escalated after German star pair Karla Borger / Julia Sude decided on Monday to boycott the event, due to a ban on wearing bikinis on the pitch, with the players being forced to play a tee -shirts and long pants, outfit sometimes used in competition when the weather is less favorable.

Updating of the regulations

The International Federation updated the tournament regulations on Tuesday evening, available online, and in particular article 10 concerning the players' outfits.

"Following discussions, the QVA confirmed on February 23 that there are no restrictions for the players, if they wish to wear the standard dress during the competition in Qatar".

The previous version of this article 10, dated February 16, stipulated that: “for women's outfits, in order to respect local culture and tradition, with the full support of sportswomen, it is expected that all participating women's teams use a short-sleeved t-shirt to wear under the official women's tournament top and knee-length shorts, in training and in matches ”.

“During the competition in Doha, if players ask to wear the usual outfit, they will be free to do so,” said the FIVB in a statement to AFP.

The organization of this first-ever women's beach volleyball tournament in Qatar was the subject of a player consultation in January.

“The players have expressed their support for this initiative […], and their enthusiasm,” added the International Federation.

On Monday, in Spiegel magazine, Karla Borger insisted that while, in normal times, she was happy to "adapt to a country", the extreme heat in Qatar made it necessary to wear a bikini.

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Her teammate Julia Sude noted that Qatar made exceptions for female athletes at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019. National coach Helke Claasen will not be making the trip either.

“She told me that she doesn't want to go there, because she doesn't feel respected as a woman there,” said Niclas Hildebrand, sports director of the German Volleyball Federation, in the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

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Qatar, which is due to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, has made a specialty of organizing major sporting events, despite several controversies, particularly around its lack of tradition in competitive sport, its extreme climate, as well as as the working conditions of employees at certain sports venues.