The Undying Clothing Issue in the Olympics by George Foerstel

There was a time when people do not care of what clothes they wear and how do they look with it. There was also a time when people competing in the Olympics do not simply care about how they look and what would their clothes bring to their performances. There was even a time when clothing was just simply a faculty to cover up athletes private body parts when all you can see are sports bras and short sport shorts. All these, just like the leadership in the IOC, is now coming to a little twist when some athletes and other executives on corporate uniforms expressed a little of worry over other athletes way of dressing or to be exact the dress they are wearing.

The issues does not concern ethical stuffs but some technical and scientific and others are purely traditional. Not known to many, there were stories that were blogged over the internet about some issues about how the gymnast in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 has been treated about dressing. Some conservative countries did react but just to compete fairly they complied with the decision. Gymnasts, especially the girls, were allegedly not allowed to wear any undergarments except for their leotards. According to Wikipedia, gymnastic rules on clothing are very strict that they deduct points to a player who violates the tenets.

Among the most controversial issue on uniforms was received from some executives in corporate uniforms of some countries on the high-end swimsuits used by the US Team in the Beijing Olympics last 2008. NASA even made a post about the new swim wear that the US contingent will be using for the said event with Michael Phelps as one of the endorsers and later user of the said gear. The result of the dispute is somehow not clear with the US team still able to use said swim suit and with Phelps breaking his own record of garnering most medals in Olympic Games.

The most recent yet however is just this Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Now, it has nothing to do with the dynamics of the clothing or the rules of the sports uniform but on the tradition that embodies the sport and the dress supposedly used for the said sport. It was when Nate Holland reacted when his most loved sport - snowboarding - is now being played using race suits rather than the conventional loose jeans and stuffs like that. Well, he and other colleagues clamor for a stricter rule limiting or banning the use of tight pants during the prestigious Olympic race.

The irony though is that, Phelps and his colleagues fought to pursue a swim gear that can help the athlete speed up by employing the benefit of studying physics while Holland sees other athletes in his sport irreverent to the sport by using speed suits. Holland and Phelps are both from US and represents the country in the Olympics.

It is good though that the athletes, their handlers, and the committee will look at the merits of each issue being thrown upon. It is good too to go back from the time where people compete without taking so much regard to how they look during the game.