Beach volleyball dress code: Qatar contradicts the world association – is it rowing back?

 The  Qatari volleyball association QVA denied the new dress code for women at a beach volleyball World Tour event in Doha in early March. “We want to make it clear that we are not making any demands on what the athletes should wear at the event,” said the organizing association when asked by the AFP news agency.

 The  association contradicts the representation of the world federation FIVB and the player organization IBVPA. Both of them had explicitly confirmed the dress code to SPIEGEL. In an email from the FIVB on February 17th, it said that they respect the culture and traditions of the host country. And further: “

 The  dress code was requested by the Qatari authorities concerned.”

Denials because of international headlines?

 The  IBVPA players’ association said on the same day that there would be “special requirements”. “For women, the clothing must go over the shoulders and down to the knees.”

 The  regulations are also published on the website of the World Association for the event a picture of a T-shirt and shorts with the indicated »minimum length«.

It was initially unclear whether the denial represented a backward row by the Qataris due to the global headlines in the past few days.

 The  dress code had received international attention since the weekend as a result of a SPIEGEL research. With Karla Borger and Julia Sude, Germany’s currently best team, in 16th place in the world, announced in SPIEGEL that it would not take part in the event. “We don’t want to support that,” said Borger and Sude.

Borger and Sude criticized the current rules for women in SPIEGEL on several points. “It’s not about wearing little or not.

 The  point is that we can’t do our work in our work clothes, ”said Sude. Beach volleyball is also “damn exhausting,” said Borger: “We adapt to every country where we can. We are ready for that too. But you’re just dripping in the heat. ”

 The  fact that judgments were obviously made using two different standards also caused anger. At their 2019 World Championships in Doha, the athletes were allowed to enter the competitions in their usual short work clothes. According to a written communication from the players’ association to SPIEGEL, there was “an exception for athletics from the royal family”. Why the volleyball players didn’t get any remained open.