Pro beach volleyball players back out of Qatar tournament over bikini attire

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German professional beach volleyball stars Karla Borger and Julia Sude said Sunday they will not be going to Qatar for a tournament over an issue involving their playing attire.

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"We are there to do our job, but are being prevented from wearing our work clothes," 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."

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The women’s portion of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Tour will head to Doha, Qatar, for the first time next month. Female players have been asked to wear long shirts and trousers for the event, according to The Guardian.

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Borger and Sude both told Germany’s Der Spiegel they would "not go along" with the Qatari rules. The country’s weather would make bikinis necessary for playing in the tournament.

Sude also pointed out that changes were not made when the country hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2019.

The Qatar Volleyball Association said athletes were allowed to wear their national uniforms, according to Yahoo.

"We would like to make clear that we are not making any demand on what athletes should wear at the event," the organization said.

The country allowed female volleyball players to compete in bikinis as recently as the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games and the 2006 Asian Games, according to The Daily Mail.

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