Just under three weeks ago, beach volleyball had the world’s attention as controversy ensued over uniform restrictions in Qatar. Qatar’s capital city, Doha, hosted Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) World Tour from March 8 to March 12. Before the tournament began, two German beach volleyball players Karla Borger and Julia Sude stated that they would boycott the event due to Qatar’s rules about what female players could wear on the court. Players were asked to wear “shirts and long trousers” (TheGuardian.com) out of respect for the country’s culture and traditions. Most of Qatar’s population is Muslim in which women practice modesty in their clothing choices. Beach volleyball players usually wear bikinis due to sand and temperature conditions. Borger and Sude said the extreme heat in Doha meant that “bikinis were necessary” (TheGuardian.com). Sude stated that they felt as if they were being prevented from wearing their work uniform, and in turn, from doing their job properly. It should be noted that Qatar made exceptions for female track and field athletes during the World Athletics Championship in 2019.
Just days after Boger and Sude announced their boycott of the tournament, Qatar came out and said that there would be “no restrictions” on female volleyball players during the FIVB World Tour. Qatar stated that they were committed to creating a “safe and inclusive event that allows athletes to compete at their very best” (ESPN.com).
For context, it has only been recently that countries in the Middle East have begun to host major sporting events. The last time a country on the Arabian Peninsula hosted a women’s beach volleyball event was in Dubai in October of 2008 (nypost.com). Qatar specifically has been hosting more and more major spring events in recent years. However, it continues to be considered a controversial venue due to its extremely high temperatures and lack of sporting history. Additionally, Qatar’s past human rights record includes discriminatory labor practices and alleged human rights abuses. However, the country continuously strives to modernize and adopt some Western traditions, such as hosting world sporting events.
It is important to keep in mind that Qatar is its own independent country with complex cultures and traditions rooted in centuries of history and religion. Other cultures should be respected, and though their values may differ from ours, we cannot rule them obsolete even if we may disagree with them. Yet, Qatar did volunteer to host the FIVB World Tour with the knowledge of female beach volleyball players’ uniforms. Players should be allowed to wear the uniforms they want in a country they were invited to play in. Since Qatar made exceptions in 2019 for female track and field athletes, the same exceptions should be made for the all-female beach volleyball players.
All in all, female beach volleyball players will be able to wear the standardized uniform during the tournament in Doha, Qatar. However, the issue raised by players Julia Sude and Karla Boger should not be forgotten. Women should be judged for their performance and athletic ability, not on what they wear.
As we pass the halfway mark in Women’s History Month, it is essential to remember all the women who fought so that women could play even sports and choose to wear what they want. If you are a tourist visiting Qatar, you can choose to show respect and adhere to their customs and traditions. However, female beach volleyball players invited to play in Qatar should not have to change their uniforms. Players like Sude and Borger are there to be judged on their skill and ability, not on what clothes they wear.