It’s a relief for the players. Nike has unveiled the new outfits of Les Bleues for the 2023 World Cup. For sporting events, the players will wear shorts adapted to menstruation, they will be light blue to match the jersey of the same color. When they wear a white jersey, the shorts will then be darker blue. Nike also announced that the shorts will now feature “Nike Leak Protection: Period” technology. an absorbent liner in case of leakage.
“Professional female footballers play two 45-minute halves with no breaks or time-outs. Many of them told us that they might spend several minutes on the pitch fearing they might have a period leak. When we introduced them this innovation, they told us how grateful they were to be able to wear these shorts that give them confidence when they cannot leave the field”, explained an executive of the equipment manufacturer, Jordana Katcher, quoted in the press release.
This is not the first time that the subject of menstruation has been discussed during a sports competition. In July 2022, English players competing in the Euros no longer wanted to wear white shorts to avoid the risk of bloodstains. On the tennis court, players are also allowed to no longer wear white stockings to play in the Wimbledon tournament.
