Who tries to have a beach volleyball tournament without bikinis? Qatar does, and two German volleyball stars are having none of it.
Qatar is set to host the FIVB World Tour beach volleyball tournament in March. Though, while the Muslim Middle East nation has plenty of sun and sand, the one thing they’re not interested in is having competitors wearing skimpy bikinis.
And that just won’t do for the star German duo of Karla Borger and Julia Sude, who are threatening to boycott the tournament over the ban.
“We are there to do our job, but are being prevented from wearing our work clothes,” Borger reportedly told German radio station Deutschlandfunk according to TMZ Sports.
Reports indicate that Qatar would prefer female competitors to wear shirts with long pants. The expected temperatures at tournament time are 85 degrees.
“The Qatar Volleyball Association is making it seem like it’s more of a request than a rule,” TMZ Sports reports. “It’s also issued a statement saying athletes are allowed to compete in their international uniforms … which are basically less-skimpy bikinis.”
Borger said, “This is really the only country and the only tournament where a government tells us how to do our job — we are criticizing that.”
The pair also questioned whether a nation such as Qatar, which stands accused of human rights abuses, should be hosting the tournament at all.
“We are asking whether it’s necessary to hold a tournament there at all,” Borger stated.
It’s unknown how many other volleyball players will be joining the boycott.