Paralympic athlete Olivia Breen is outraged after an official said her sprint shorts were “too short”

(CNN) – The double world champion paralympic Olivia Breen says she was “speechless” after an English Championships official told her that her sprint shorts were “too short and inappropriate.”The 24-year-old detailed the incident in a Twitter post this Sunday, saying that while she was grateful to the volunteers officiating at the competitions, women shouldn’t feel self-conscious while competing.

“I am always grateful to the amazing volunteers who officiate at athletic events,” Breen told her 10,200 supporters. “They do an incredible job and make it possible for us to compete.”

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Breen said the comment hurt the most because it came from another woman.

“You have no right to say what I can or cannot use,” Breen said, adding that he made it public to raise awareness.

The English Athletics Federation has contacted her, and she is planning to make an official complaint.

“They (the English Athletics Federation) have been very supportive of me, which is very nice,” he said.

“Ending the trust”

The sprint shorts in question they were Adidas officials for 2021, Breen told The Guardian newspaper.

According to the Welsh star, who won a gold medal at the 2017 IPC World Championships in the T38 long jump and took gold and set a world record in the T35-38 100-meter relay in the same competition in 2015 , his shorts are designed specifically for competition and he has been wearing similar shorts for many years without complaint.

Breen, who has cerebral palsy, will represent Great Britain at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo next month. In his message, he said that he will “hopefully” wear the same sprint shorts in Tokyo.

“When you compete, you want to feel as light as possible to perform better,” Breen told CNN, explaining that she prefers shorts to be short because they make her feel “freer.”

“We have the right to take what they give us and what we can take,” he added.

The Paralympian said comments like those made by Sunday’s official could “ruin the confidence and self-esteem” of younger athletes.

“I was outraged. If I was 16 or something like that, tears would come to my eyes,” said Breen, who believes officials should be better guided in using appropriate language when dealing with Paralympians.

“They have to treat us with respect and not make us feel like garbage.”

Double standard

The athlete, who also won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, denounced the apparent double standards in her Twitter post, saying the experience made her “question whether a male competitor would be criticized in a similar way. I hope neither another female athlete has had similar problems. “

“I recognize that there have to be regulations and guidelines in relation to the competition kit, but women should not feel self-conscious about what they wear when competing, they should feel comfortable and at ease,” he added.

The 2020-2022 edition of the UK Athletes Association (UKA) “Competition Rules” states that “at all events, athletes must wear clean clothing, designed and worn in a manner that is not objectionable. “

The guidelines also say that clothing “must be made of a material that is not translucent even when wet” and that athletes “must not wear clothing that could obstruct the judges’ vision.”

A British athlete, shot putter Amelia Strickler, responded to Breen’s post saying that comments like those made by the official on Sunday contribute to the pressure that athletes already face.

“Athletes should not be the subject of such criticism when there is already so much pressure on women to be ‘perfect’,” Strickler wrote on Twitter.

“We’re there to compete. You don’t like the suits? Don’t officiate. We don’t need officials to add unnecessary stress at those times.”

Adidas described Breen as an “inspiration on and off the track.”

“It is disappointing that he is being judged for anything other than his athletic performance. We fully support his comments and hope that they will be taken into account by the event organizers,” an Adidas spokesperson said in a statement sent to CNN.

CNN contacted the English Athletics Federation for further comment.