Females have to tolerate unreasonable sexist rules coming from sporting bodies yet again. Are we there for the games or for guys to go ogle at!?
Netballers riled by sports-bra rule in beach tournament
BY DAWN TAY
SINGAPORE'S first beach netball tournament, the Contiki Beach Netball Festival, has been accused of being sexist and exploitative.
The reason? Its women participants must wear a sports bra for a top.
Male participants, on the other hand will wear tank-top T-shirts instead.
The rule has deterred some would-be participants - some of them former national players - from taking part.
Former national youth player Nur Liyana Noordin, who is giving the tournament a miss, said: 'It's sexist to want women to play sports in sexy attire.'
Netball coach Lin Shuangru, 24, feels 'uncomfortable and exposed' playing in a sports bra.
She said: 'Are they trying to popularise the sport by making use of women's sex appeal?
'It might affect the performances of those who feel forced to wear the attire, as they become more self-conscious.'
Another coach, Chen Shi Yun - who manages one of the participating teams - said that players were not given enough prior details of the attire rule.
She said: 'Upon registration, it was just stated that we had to wear the 'official top'. It was a rude surprise to some that the top was in fact a sports bra.'
Chen said that some of her players are trying to find creative ways to get around the ruling.
For example, they are thinking of wearing skins inside, or arriving late in the hope that crop-top sizes might run out. Sports executive Eric Lee commented that some of his female teammates are resorting to last-ditch attempts to tone their abdominal muscles.
Unhappy participants unanimously said that they should be allowed to wear what they wanted.
When contacted by my paper, event organiser Netball Singapore said they 'understood that not all players will be comfortable with this, and they should decide if they would play'.
I remember a few years ago, - Fifa president Sepp Blatter has urged women footballers to wear skimpier kits to increase the popularity of the women's game.
"Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball," said the Fifa chief.
"They could, for example, have tighter shorts."
Netballers riled by sports-bra rule in beach tournament
BY DAWN TAY
SINGAPORE'S first beach netball tournament, the Contiki Beach Netball Festival, has been accused of being sexist and exploitative.
The reason? Its women participants must wear a sports bra for a top.
Male participants, on the other hand will wear tank-top T-shirts instead.
The rule has deterred some would-be participants - some of them former national players - from taking part.
Former national youth player Nur Liyana Noordin, who is giving the tournament a miss, said: 'It's sexist to want women to play sports in sexy attire.'
Netball coach Lin Shuangru, 24, feels 'uncomfortable and exposed' playing in a sports bra.
She said: 'Are they trying to popularise the sport by making use of women's sex appeal?
'It might affect the performances of those who feel forced to wear the attire, as they become more self-conscious.'
Another coach, Chen Shi Yun - who manages one of the participating teams - said that players were not given enough prior details of the attire rule.
She said: 'Upon registration, it was just stated that we had to wear the 'official top'. It was a rude surprise to some that the top was in fact a sports bra.'
Chen said that some of her players are trying to find creative ways to get around the ruling.
For example, they are thinking of wearing skins inside, or arriving late in the hope that crop-top sizes might run out. Sports executive Eric Lee commented that some of his female teammates are resorting to last-ditch attempts to tone their abdominal muscles.
Unhappy participants unanimously said that they should be allowed to wear what they wanted.
When contacted by my paper, event organiser Netball Singapore said they 'understood that not all players will be comfortable with this, and they should decide if they would play'.
I remember a few years ago, - Fifa president Sepp Blatter has urged women footballers to wear skimpier kits to increase the popularity of the women's game.
"Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball," said the Fifa chief.
"They could, for example, have tighter shorts."
