Olympics-Gymnastics-German gymnasts choose full-body suits for comfort, freedom

By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

PARIS (Reuters) - Some of Germany's female Olympic gymnasts at the Paris Games opted for full-body suits in training on Thursday, a fashion choice that has had profound repercussions for young competitors and inspired women to wear what makes them feel at ease.

At their podium training session at the Bercy Arena in Paris, two German gymnasts wore black unitards, which are combined leotards and leggings extending to the ankles.

Germany received wide-ranging praise at the Tokyo Olympics and in the run-up for wearing unitards in a move some athletes said was designed to counter the sexualisation of the sport.

"We had a lot of positive comments afterwards," said Pauline Schaefer-Betz, who will compete in her third Olympics at 27.

"And the main part for us was that we are comfortable in these. I really like to do gymnastics in long (pant) sleeves so you can put a lot of sparkle on the leg as well."

Schaefer-Betz said other countries might not have followed the trend because of the challenges related to unitards' design.

"The main problem is that it's really hard to find the perfect fit for a long sleeve leotard," she said. "We have a special leotard designer who made the special cut so that everything fits well, and I think many teams did not have this."

Sarah Voss, competing at her second Olympics, said there was a noticeable change in youth gymnastics since the team began wearing unitards.

"I think for the German girls, especially for the younger girls, they feel more comfortable," the 24-year-old said.

"They feel like we've pushed to give more empathy. In different clubs, it's allowed for the younger athletes to wear shorts within the competition. And that's something that was not allowed before."

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Ken Ferris)