German professional volleyball players Karla Borger and Julia Sude dropped out of the Qatar tournament because of the beach attire. The girls were asked to wear long shirts and shorts or pants to the tournament, but because of the heat in the Middle East, and the girls cannot wear their normal bikini, the girls dropped out.

I agree with this as the temperatures in the Middle East are very high. Borger and Sude are also very used to wearing their normal bikini attire for a beach volleyball game, because it gets so hot on the sand and in the sun. I think they dropped out for a good reason and, as Borger told a German radio station,  “This is really the only country and the only tournament where a government tells us how to do our job – we are criticizing that.”

While the Middle East was asking the girls to wear a different uniform due to their culture, I don’t think Borger and Sude should have to abide by that, as they are not a part of the culture in the Middle East, but a part of German culture. There were also no changes in uniforms when the country hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2019. “The Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) is committed to ensuring that all athletes are made to feel welcome and comfortable at next month’s historic FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 4-star event in Doha. We have been in close consultation with the FIVB and have prepared for the event in line with the FIVB’s Code of Conduct,” the Qatar Volleyball Association said in a statement to Fox News.

I do agree with wanting to make everyone feel comfortable while at the tournament, but I don’t think athletes should need to change their normal beach attire or their international uniform. While The Qatar Volleyball Association did state, “We would like to make clear that we are not making any demand on what athletes should wear at the event. We fully respect the FIVB’s Code of Conduct and have demonstrated at numerous events in Qatar in the past, including the ANOC World Beach Games, that athletes are free to compete in international uniforms as they would in other countries.” I still do not think they should have asked the players to change their uniform when they didn’t ask in the past.

I asked senior Emma Nelson for her opinion on the situation, and she disagrees with the volleyball players dropping out because “they should have adapted with the country’s cultural practices”. I understand her standpoint, also.

In conclusion, I think it was right for them to drop out of the tournament because they should not need to follow another culture that they are not a part of. I also feel as if the country was trying to push their culture onto the girls, and that is another reason as to why they dropped out.