EXPLAINER: Why Olympic beach volleyball players wear bikinis

FILE - In this July 25, 2021, file photo, Leita Consuelo Martinez Ortega, of Cuba, is covered in sand as she waits for a shot during a woman's beach volleyball match against Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan. Most of the women playing beach volleyball at the Olympics wear bikinis as their uniform, but it's not required. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2008, file photo, Misty May-Treanor, of the United States, reacts during against China in a gold medal women's beach volleyball match at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Most of the women playing beach volleyball at the Olympics wear bikinis as their uniform, but it's not required. In Beijing, the Olympic championship was played in a downpour. “This,” said May-Treanor, who was soaking wet but with a gold medal to show for it, “is just another reason why we play in bathing suits.” (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

FILE - In this July 26, 2021, file photo, Miki Ishii, right, of Japan, attempts to block against Margareta Kozuch, of Germany, during a women's beach volleyball match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Most of the women playing beach volleyball at the Olympics wear bikinis as their uniform, but it's not required. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 11, 2016, file photo, Egypt's Doaa Elghobashy, right, sets up for teammate Nada Meawad against Canada during a women's beach volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Most of the women playing beach volleyball at the Olympics wear bikinis as their uniform, but it's not required. The rules allow women different options, including long and short pants and more conservative attire for those whose religious beliefs require it. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

FILE - In this July 25, 2021, file photo, Pauline Schaefer-Betz, of Germany, performs her floor exercise routine during the women's artistic gymnastic qualifications at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. The German gymnastics team wore full-legged unitards that went down to their ankles, eschewing the traditional bikini cut that ends high on the hip. The athletes said they were trying to combat the sexualization of young women and girls in their sport, which is trying to recover from a decades-long sexual abuse scandal. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)