The Japanese women&#8217;s gymnastics team of four competed in the Paris Olympics after their captain, Shoko Miyata (19), withdrew from the competition due to a drinking and smoking problem. Their team competition ended with an 8th place finish.
<figure id="attachment_385856" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3394px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385856"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5089a5a9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/573e7fa6258769a2c4a329e32f3d77f9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385856" class="wp-caption-text">Japan&#8217;s gymnastics team with a cheerful expression on their faces.</figcaption></figure>
 The four members were banned from social networking, and it must have been difficult for them to compete in various ways.
 In a sense, passing the qualifying round and winning a prize in such a situation was more valuable than a medal. As proof of this, the girls&#8217; faces were cheerful after the competition, and one of the members, Makoto Okamura (19), looked back positively, saying, &#8220;We have some regrets, but it was a good experience that will lead us to the next round.
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While there was praise for the four members of the Japanese team who performed to the delight of gymnastics fans around the world, there was also concern on social networking sites about the girls.
 Some, mainly women, expressed concern that the uniforms of the four members of Japan&#8217;s national team might be too revealing. &#8220;There were many posts on social networking sites expressing concern that the uniforms of the four members of Japan&#8217;s national team might be too revealing. It is true that the girls are wearing traditional leotards that show off all of their legs.
 In the sports world, there have been a series of cases in which images of female athletes competing have been spread as sexually explicit images. Against this background, an increasing number of athletes are wearing &#8220;unitards,&#8221; which cover up to the ankles. In fact, at the Tokyo Olympics, the German national team all competed in unitards,&#8221; said a sports newspaper desk reporter.
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(Sports newspaper desk) &#8220;At the Paris Olympics, athletes are allowed to choose to wear either a leotard or a unitard. So why in the world is the Japanese team choosing leotards, which fans are worried about?　In response to this reporter&#8217;s question, a member of the Japan Gymnastics Association said, &#8220;It&#8217;s simply because they are not used to it.
 A member of the Japan Gymnastics Association told us, &#8220;Simply, they are not accustomed to it. The girls have been performing in leotards since they were very young. For Olympic-level athletes, even small differences at a level that ordinary people don&#8217;t notice are factors that have a big impact on their competition. If the uniform they wear is changed, they cannot shake off the feeling of discomfort. The performance of the unitard is good, and wearing it does not seem to reduce the range of motion of the body or make it difficult to move, but I still find it easier to wear the leotard that I am used to.
So, why not start wearing the unitard long before the Olympics begin and get used to it little by little? The official continues, &#8220;But the athletes already feel comfortable.
 But it seems strange that we, who are not competing, should tell them to wear a unitard because they might look at us sexually when they already feel comfortable with it. To begin with, gymnastics is a sport that needs to be seen. Of course, it is unacceptable to have a biased view, but exposed muscles and supple movements of the legs are also important factors in gymnastics.
 It is the athletes who ultimately make the choice, and we simply respect that. We appreciate your concern, but this is a world of serious competition. I think we are rather proud of the competitive wear we have fought with. It seems to me that athletes are giving in to the possibility of being looked at in a sexual way, so they should change their uniforms. There is nothing wrong with athletes, so let them fight the way they want. Of course, if they choose to wear the unitards, there is no reason not to allow them to do so.
First of all, I would like to pay tribute to the four members of Japan&#8217;s national team, who showed such resilience and vigor that they were able to overcome the concerns of their fans.

 Photographed by JMPA

 The Japanese women's gymnastics team competed in the Paris Olympics with four members after captain Shoko Miyata (19) withdrew from the competition due to her drinking and smoking problem. Their team competition ended with an 8th place finish.

Gymnastics Officials Respond to Fans’ Concerns About Women’s Team Uniforms

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