Two German Volleyball Players Boycotting FIVB Event In Qatar Over Ban On Bikinis
A couple of high-profile volleyball players from Germany say that are boycotting an upcoming tournament in Qatar after being told they are not going to be allowed to wear skimpy bikinis on the sand volleyball court.
32-year-old Karla Borger and 33-year-old Julia Sude are the two players who have announced they will not play in the tourney, instead standing by their beliefs they should be allowed to wear their bikinis.
Women in the tourney are being told they have to wear shirts and long pants instead of bikinis, this despite temps that are expected that time of the year to be anywhere between 83-90 degrees.
TMZ reports that the Qatar Volleyball Association isn't pushing the issue right now, and that for the upcoming FIVB World Tour event in Qatar in March, the dress code is more of a request than some sort of law in writing.
The association issued a statement saying athletes are allowed to compete in their international uniforms, which for the most part are basically less-skimpy bikinis.
Borger spoke out on a German radio station via TMZ about the ruling by the Muslim country, saying that they are not being allowed to dress as they normally would for work, which is forcing them to take a stand.
"We are there to do our job, but are being prevented from wearing our work clothes,” 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."
Having a tournament in a Muslim country can always lead to issues, and it appears it's ready to rear its ugly head again when it comes to the situation surrounding these two German female players.
"We are asking whether it's necessary to hold a tournament there at all," Borger stated.
It sounds like this is all going to sit at a stalemate, as the ladies are not going to change their minds about what they want to wear, and the Volleyball Association is standing pat when it comes to keeping their dress code intact.