Olympics beach volleyball players can drop their bikinis

Sorry, bikini lovers. The women's beach volleyball event at this summer's Olympics in London might not be such a feast for your eyes. For the first time since the sport became an Olympic medal event 16 years ago, players will be permitted to wear shorts and sleeves. The bikini, the standard uniform, is now optional. The new rules handed down by the International Volleyball Federation were adopted to respect religious and cultural mores of several countries still vying to qualify for the games. Players in less conservative countries (USA! USA!) are still expected to wear the skimpy gear.