Paris Olympics 2024 controversy puts focus on ‘sexist’ women’s sports kits

‘Far too often, attention is paid more on how women athletes look, versus their power, grit and performance’

The official Nike kits for American women competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics have been slammed as “a costume born of patriarchal forces” by one track athlete and “treating women as second-class citizens” by a commentator on Nike’s Instagram page because of the skimpy nature of the swimming costumes and leotards.

Meanwhile, France has been criticised for its decision to bar its sportswomen from wearing the hijab.

Although the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has allowed international athletes to wear the hijab, French sportswomen will still be barred from exercising the right to wear the outfits of their choice during the Summer Olympics, which started on Friday and continue until August 11.

Whether it’s a question of sexist outfits or a ban on the headscarf worn by some Muslim women, directives can impinge on women’s freedoms and needs, activists say. Women should be allowed to wear outfits they feel comfortable in, they say.

Let’s take a look at the debate around women’s attire in athletics.