An 85% majority of men requiring a woman to pull down her pants to prove she’s a women is criminal sexual harassment.

Well at least the "girls" could make an effort to fit in.

All those lady swimmers & divers, could at least wear the same competition outfit as the blokes. Hipster speedos for all I say.

We could just resurrect the ancient Greek tradition of having all the athletes compete wearing only olive oil.

Cheers,

Tony

Modesty prevents me from correcting you Tony... but you might wish to google the word 'kynodesme'.

No doubt in this day and age someone would, though, be able to come up with a method by which it could be applied to all competitors.

Re female canoeing at the Olympics. Ms Scutt is correct in saying there are no female canoeing events at the Olympics. The female events are actually kayak events, not canoe events. The term ‘Canoe Slalom’ is a misnomer, as it is technically a kayak race.

Kayaks require a double-bladed paddle and the rower has their feet out in front. Canoes require a single-bladed paddle and the paddler takes a semi-kneeling position. The Wikipedia page on Canoeing also backs up Ms Scutt’s claim that it is (as yet) a male-only Olympic sport.

http://www.london2012.com/canoe-sprint/photos/event=canoe-sprint-canoe-single-200m-men/pictures.html#qiang-china-competes-the-men-canoe-single-200m-sprint-heats

Having said that, however, it’s too nitpicky a point to back up Ms Scutt’s claims of deliberate Olympic sexism. I suspect it's more a case of the Olympic committee not yet catching up with the need to hold a women's competition.

Poirot: ‘Btw - volleyball costume reflects beach costume. Women get around in next to nothing and men wear baggy boardies.’

That’s a bit of a long bow, especially considering that many women at the beach wear one-pieces and rash tops and many men wear budgie smugglers. And how does the application of social context apply to women’s Olympic track and field costumes, which have fallen into an alarming sexist double standard since the 1990s? The women’s T&F uniforms are all skintight and show as much arse, midriff, thighs and navels as possible, while the men’s are much looser, with a lot more body and leg coverage.

If this bra-and-panties costuming of women’s T&F competitors were all about increasing performance, then the men would wear them too. Also, women’s and men’s T&F costumes were pretty much the same in the 1980s and 1990s, but have recently diverged to the current women’s style in the last 10 years. There’s a good overview of the issue here:

http://hoydenabouttown.com/20060830.13/if-bare-midriffs-and-short-shorts-really-made-athletes-run-faster/

(WARNING: The above link contains feminist content. Viewing by sneering patriarchal dudes in denial is not recommended.)