FIVB allows beach volleyball players to wear shorts and sleeved tops – Volleyball news
The International Volleyball Federation has recently announced that beach volleyball players would be allowed for outfit flexibility at the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games.
The FIVB has adopted new rules, which allow beach volleyball players to cover their body parts with shorts and sleeved tops instead of just bikinis.
Furthermore, the hair can be covered with a Headgear. This change has been made out of respect for the cultural beliefs of various Islamic countries such as Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco. Initially, the request for out-fit flexibility came from African Volleyball
Federation.
The official statement about the new rules was disclosed by International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) spokesman Richard Baker on Wednesday.
He said, “Some countries for religious and cultural reasons required more flexibility. This has now been implemented for all FIVB tournaments... the decision just gives them (the athletes) that greater choice.”
He further added, “Many of these countries have religious and cultural requirements so the uniform needed to be more flexible. Winners of the Continental Cups will qualify for the Olympics, so it has to be applied.”
The covered-dressing is unlikely to be widely adopted as most female beach volleyball players intend to wear their usual bikini outfits.
However, if the weather turns unusually chilly then there are chances that majority will use cover-ups. In fact, the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) already allowed female players to wear full bodysuits on the world tour. The most prominent
example is the 2011 Hague Open, where many of athletes used full length outfits.
Nonetheless, this news may come as a surprise for those who go to watch the beach volleyball matches just because of bikini clad athletes. However, obviously this should not be main attraction of the high-energy sport; the fans are expected to show some
real passion and spirit for the amazing game of beach volleyball. The International Volleyball Federation hopes that it will not affect the turn-out of spectators in the Olympic matches.
The Olympic beach volleyball tournament is supposed to be held at the famous Horseguards Parade in central London. The location is near the Buckingham Palace and Prime Minister’s residence. Tons of sand has been brought to set up the courts for the beach
volleyball matches.
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