German gymnasts compete at Euros in bodysuits, hail ‘important signal’
BASEL: Two German female gymnasts at the European championships didn’t make the podium on Friday but grabbed the headlines for wearing bodysuits rather than leotards in a sport plagued by abuse scandals.
Elisabeth Seitz and Kim Bui, who were fith and seventh in the all-around competition, donned oufits which fully covered their arms and legs.
The idea is to “feel good and stay stylish,” said German teammate Sarah Voss who also wore a full bodysuit earlier this week in the tournament.
On her Instagram account, she explained: “When puberty started, when I had my period, I started to feel more and more uncomfortable.”
“When I was a litle girl I didn’t see the tight fit as a big problem,” she added in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF.
Seitz said Friday that taking off the leotard and replacing it with an all-body oufit is “an important signal”.
Russia’s Angelina Melnikova, a silver medal winner on Friday behind compatriot Viktoria Listunova, described the Germans’ black and purple oufits as “unusual but prety”.
The world of gymnastics has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent times.
In the United States, former team doctor Larry Nassar was found guilty of sexually assaulting at least 265 identified victims over two decades, including star Simone Biles.
In Britain, accusations of abuse have made headlines while in Greece former gymnasts complained of having suffered decades of abuse “akin to torture” at the hands of one of their coaches.
Meanwhile, four-time Olympic gymnastics champion Biles has signed up with Gap Inc’s Athleta brand for a new apparel partnership, ending an almost six-year deal with Nike Inc.
Biles, the most decorated gymnast in world championship history at age 24, said in an Instagram post on Friday she wanted to partner with a brand that shares her “passion to help girls rise and own their limitless potential.”
“They are commited to diversity and inclusion, which was really important for me to see in a partner,” she said.
The move is a blow to Nike, which tried for years with mixed success to expand in the lucrative market for women’s sports apparel, launching yoga, plus-size and maternity lines.
“What Nike have undersold - or at least under-monetized - in the past is womenswear,” said Michael Faherty, a porfolio manager at Adidas and Nike investor Seilern Investment Management. “You only have to look across at Lululemon to see the excellent growth they’ve been able to generate in the womenswear space.”