By Yuji Kondo

8:00 JST, March 1, 2025

In the world of sports, there is a problem with female athletes being photographed with sexual intent. The situation is becoming more serious as images and videos are posted on social media and spread online. Although competition organizers and sports federations are taking action, there is still no definitive solution.

At the Paris Olympics last year, the Japanese women’s volleyball team wore innovative uniforms that attracted the attention of the Western media.

Mizuno, a major Japanese sporting goods manufacturer, designed the uniforms using infrared-opaque material to thwart attempts at illicit photography using infrared cameras that can see through ordinary fabric to reveal underwear and skin. Many invasive photos of athletes that appeared to have been taken using this method were circulating online, and measures to prevent this had become a pressing issue.

The Japanese women’s national teams in six sports at the Paris Olympics, including volleyball, table tennis, archery and field hockey, wore uniforms made of this special fabric. According to Mizuno’s public relations department, the players who wore the uniforms said they were “relieved and happy to be able to play comfortably.”

Mizuno also said that its innovation was reported on by Western media in countries such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, confirming that it was recognized as a serious issue overseas.

The problem of athletes being photographed without their knowledge is not a new one. In the 1990s, there were several cases in which photos of female athletes’ breasts and lower bodies were enlarged and........

© The Japan News