Bikinis remain a big topic at the beach volleyball venue, and even as we head toward the knockout round players are still fielding questions — if not complaints — about the less revealing clothing they're wearing to combat the chilly London nights.
The British tabloids haven't been so consumed by a cover-up since the Profumo Affair.
"They seem to focus so much on our uniform, but if anyone goes to the beach they don't lay out in sweatpants," American Misty May-Treanor told reporters Tuesday in a casual meet-and-greet set up by FIVB, the international governing body. "If the weather's colder, of course we're going to cover up. But the uniform is functional for what we do."
May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings wore long pants and sleeves for their victory over the Czech Republic that ended after midnight Tuesday morning. And Walsh Jennings says she doesn't care if people come for the swimsuits.
Once they see the competition, they'll stay.
The TV networks hope so, otherwise they're caught in a bit of a Catch-22: They want the Americans in the late matches so they can be shown live at a reasonable hour back in the U.S. But because it's so cold, the women aren't wearing the bikinis that might pull in the less athletically enthused fans.
— Jimmy Golen — Twitter: www.twitter.com/jgolen
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