When winners of the Flanders Diamond Tour—the final race of the women’s Lotto Cycling Cup—arrived at the podium this past Sunday, they were greeted with… women wearing bikinis!?
Cyclist and journalist Marijn de Vries tweeted a picture of the podium, calling it an “utter disgrace.” And it is a disgrace: The podium was meant to honor the women who had won this race. Celebrating their achievements with women in bikinis makes no sense at all.
Why are there even still bikini-clad podium models at sporting events anymore? The sports players don’t deserve that—they should be getting the full attention at a game or race they are competing in. It’s no more fair for the women themselves. They are not being honored, simply objectified.
The organizers have since apologized for the incident. In a series of tweets posted on the official Lotto Cycling Cup series twitter, organizers say they “want to apologize for the outrageous show.” However, the also put all the blame on local organizers of the event, saying the had no part in setting up the podium. Vries tweeted the Lotto Cycling Cup twitter again with a perfectly sassy response.
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Images courtesy of Marijan de Vries Twitter
