German gymnasts competing in unitards at the European Championships in April made headlines all around the world even though unitards have been allowed in competition for a while and it was not the first instance of wearing a unitard at an international competition. Gymnasts also often wear shorts and leggings in training. Additionally, rhythmic and acrobatic gymnasts have been competing in unitards for a long time. However, some current and former artistic gymnasts reacted to the issue as if they’ve never seen a gymnast with covered legs before. Oksana Chusovitina, for example, took issue with one reason offered for unitards – that it somewhat prevents the sexualization of gymnasts’ bodies and makes photos in splits less awkward.
Lydia Ivanova, a gymnast and coach turned commentator, thinks that unitards break the lines of a gymnast. She did not comment on whether the same is true for male gymnasts who compete in pants on four of their events:
“From the point of view of perceiving female gymnasts aesthetically, a unitard distracts from what’s most important. A unitards chops the the whole body line from the top of the head to the toes, it interferes with the perception.”
Svetlana Khorkina, like Chusovitina, also had a bit of an issue with possible reasons for unitards but said her main worry is gymnasts’ safety:
“Honestly, I don’t quite understand these fashion trends. Yes, of course, if this [adopting unitards] gives a chance to attract audience and the arenas will be filled with spectators to the brink, such proposals could be considered. Is that the case here?”
“I really love my sport and I will always do everything to make our artistic gymnastics more interesting and attractive on order to bring spectators back to the arenas, so that the stands would be bursting with crowds. Still, I think that the primary direction of the development [of the sport] should be changing the competition rules.”
“Regarding the looks – leotards, unitards, skirts – the decision needs to be driven by the main concern. And that is the safety of the athlete. Will a unitard allow doing difficult elements without [an increased risk of] injuries? And to illustrate that, I have a question – for example, will a unitard be a problem when doing a double tuck? When we grab our legs with our hands and do a double tuck forward or backward, I think hands might slip.”
“If the change is coming under the banner of [fighting] excessive sexualization in the sport, then I don’t even want to discuss it. We have to discuss the most important things – the safety of the athlete, beauty, and difficulty of their routine.”
khorkina is so dumb and arrogant. She has no dignity as woman. How can unitard hurt your body when male gymnast also wear it? so stupid old woman