After countless hours of training, competing, and working hard to secure their places in the 2016 Rio Olympics, the beach volleyball players are finally ready to wear their bikinis and play against the toughest competition in the world. These controversial uniforms have been the center of much of the buzz for this sandy sport and are taking the attention away from what matters the most, the game of beach volleyball.
What many of the world’s couch sitters don't know is that bikinis are in fact the most functional uniforms to play in while running around sand in sweltering heat. Now, you may be thinking, “but those bikinis don't have to be so small!” But oh yes they do; the more coverage a bikini offers, the more sand gets stuck in them. So naturally, its a common theory at coastline beaches around the world for beach volleyball, that smaller is better, at least for swimsuits. In California, girls as young as twelve year old can be seen playing in the “Brazilian” swimsuit style made popular by local bikini company, Kauai Bikini. These beach volleyball specific bikinis have set the standard for beach volleyball from the youth level to the professionals offering bikinis that allow very little sand to get inside of them.
Many of the sports “fans” fail to grasp this concept that these bikinis are their jerseys and the most comfortable option, not a call for attention. All too often photographers capture pictures taken from the back side as players show blocking signals on their backs, rather than taking photos of an amazing hit or dig. This problem can be seen not only at the Olympic level, but at the amateur level at youth tournaments. Unsolicited photographers often have to be shooed away by players’ parents as they claim they’re just capturing “action shots.” The players love having pictures taken of them in action, just not when they’re focused on their back sides.
In addition to the people focused on the bikini, there are just as many focused on its removal from the sport. In fact, people plague famous beach volleyball players’ Instagram and Facebook accounts with comments shaming them for their “scandalous” uniforms. These negative comments also include threats to boycott watching the sport and suggesting they should wear bigger uniforms. Yet the athletes keep their heads held high and focus on being confident in their game.
In the utmost importance, beach volleyball has so much more to focus on than just the bikinis. Kerri Walsh is destined to win her fourth Gold medal in her final Olympics with 2012 silver medalist April Ross. USA’s secondary team, Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat are set to have a promising first Olympic appearance after recently beating Walsh and Ross in an FIVB Tour event. Despite what these world class athletes wear, they're sure to win big in Rio.
