Women's Gymnastics Apparel: Showcasing Beauty in Comfort

When it comes to women's gymnastics apparel, what do you think of first? The close-fitting and elastic material outlines a toned figure, and the gymnastics suit brings out the slender legs. Whether from the perspective of viewing or convenience, this so-called Leotard-style classic gymnastics suit meets the needs of athletes. However, when the gymnastics competitions of the Tokyo Olympics were carried out step by step, the German female athletes who did not enter the women's team finals attracted everyone's attention in another way, that is, their clothes. Compared with the traditional Leotards, which are close to bikinis, worn by other athletes, the German athletes wore gymnastic unitards, a one-piece tights that covers the whole body and covers the legs to the ankles. In ordinary competitions, gymnasts are rarely seen wearing this way, except for religious reasons.

The German Gymnastics Federation supported the girls' decision, believing that it was a statement against "sexualization", the purpose of which is to allow athletes to "show beauty while feeling comfortable." In the girls' interview, there was no such firm "ism" speech. Team member Sarah Voss also explained their purpose in the interview: "We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and show everyone that everyone should be able to wear whatever they want, whether it is long tights or short tights, it makes people look comfortable and feel comfortable."

The German team was able to wear this set of clothes to the Olympic qualifying round, which shows that there is no problem with this long gymnastics suit at the rule level. According to the International Gymnastics Federation, athletes can use long sleeves, half sleeves or leg coverings in the competition, as long as the color matches the tights.

Since there are no rigid regulations, why has the high-slit gymnastics suit become a universal standard? Former Olympic champion Yang Yilin explained it this way:

With the changes of the times, the current high-slit gymnastics competition leotard will make the athlete's leg lines look more slender, and the gymnastics movements performed are easier to get high scores, so the current high-slit gymnastics competition leotards are an upgraded version.

A more enveloping gymnastics suit not only enhances the beauty of gymnastics competitions, but also allows referees to more easily see the movements of athletes. When there are flaws in the movements of gymnasts, referees can deduct points in time, which largely ensures the fairness and justice of gymnastics events.

So, from this point of view, the length of women's gymnastics suits probably affects the beauty. There are athletes who are confident and willing to show their body lines, and there are also athletes who feel uncomfortable because the clothes are too short. We hope that in the future, female athletes can decide what to wear by themselves.