Beach Volleyball Olympians Respond to Bikinis Criticism: “It’s Sense, Useful Outfit”

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Brandie wilkerson

Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images

Bikinis are here to stay.

At every Olympics, the question of why female beach volleyball athletes compete in two-piece swimsuits becomes a topic of conversation and the answer is simple: female competitors prefer them.

“I feel like we’ve read so many people online like ‘Let them wear whatever they want.’ We are!” Kelly Claes, who competed for Team USA in Tokyo, tells PEOPLE at the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) first post-Olympic tournament in Atlanta. “At the Olympics we are allowed to wear long pants, turtlenecks, we can wear whatever we want. We all choose to wear bikinis.”

RELATED: Pink Offers to Pay Norwegian Women’s Handball Team Fine for ‘Sexist’ Bikini Dress Code

Brandie Wilkerson, another AVP athlete who represented Canada at the Tokyo Games, says she “loves” to play in a bikini.

“It’s a sensible and useful outfit for being in the sun and on the sand,” she says. “And there are a lot of sports, nobody asks why you are wearing a swimsuit if you are in the pool.”

Kelly Claes; Sarah Sponcil

Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil

Not all athletes on the AVP Tour Sports Bikinis. Some competitors, like Crissy Jones, regularly opt for one-piece swimsuits, and it’s common to see athletes in longer shirts or pants when the weather calls for it.

Wilkerson notes that the different styles are “an amazing way to express yourself.”

Crissy jones

Adam Hagy / Getty Images Crissy Jones

Last month, athletes in bikinis made headlines again when the European Handball Federation fined Noway’s beach handball team for wearing shorts rather than the required two-piece swimsuits. Singer Pink offered to pay the $ 1,700 fine and condemned the “sexist” uniform demands.

“I think when you start narrowing down the options, that’s a problem,” Wilkerson says. “But if someone chooses to wear something very small or very large, there shouldn’t even be a conversation.”

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Claes’ teammate Sarah Sponcil agrees “Let them wear whatever they want,” she says and notes that while men often play shirtless, it’s never a controversy to see them wear jerseys during the Olympic Games.

“No one asks, ‘Why do men wear shirts? ” ” she says.

Brandie wilkerson

Adam Hagy / Getty Images Brandie Wilkerson

In addition to their uniforms, female athletes have their own unique way of bringing their personal style to the pitch.

“I always have to get my nails done,” Wilkerson says. “I think I’m one of the only women to play with ridiculously long nails, and I love it.”

She adds, “You want to look good and play well, at least that’s how I am. I’m not ashamed of that.”

The AVP volleyball season continues this weekend with the Manhattan Beach Open, where the winners will have their names etched in history on the Manhattan Beach Pier, followed by the Chicago Open over the weekend of Labor Day. Can’t do it in person? All of the action will be broadcast live on Peacock.

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