The Burqini

The Islamic law, or Sharia, sets several bounds that impact Muslim athletes. This includes rules regarding the awrah,(those parts of the body not to be exposed in public). The hijab or burquas required by strict Islamic societies can make it difficult for women to engage in many sports. Also, men are not allowed to have clothing that shows the area between the knees and bellybutton, prohibiting them from engaging in, for example, competitive swimming. (No Speedo for Abdullah). For some time, Iranian women at the Olympics only competed in shooting because it was the one area unaffected by their dress codes. There are also several other concerns for Muslim athletes. For example, it is noteworthy that the name Olympics originates from Greek mythology, deemed by Islam to be a pagan religion. This is why you don't see many Muslim countries represented at these games. The biggest surprise for me was that there are restrictions on heavyweight boxing, since it includes harming on purpose. ??? (There must be a loophole in that rule somewhere.)
I don't know if a study has ever been done, but I have read enough articles about burqua-wearing to think that there has to be a connection between walking around in a tent and weight gain. The cumbersome garment makes even going up and down stairs difficult and at the same time conveniently conceals any extra pounds that may have accumulated due to restriction of movement.
Having said all this, my hat is off to a feisty Muslim lady who had enough of trying to be sporty in layers and layers of fabric. Even though she has received death threats for her "racy" designs, she has invented a sporty hybrid mix of about 1% bikini and 99% burqua called the Burqini. No worries about skin cancer, shaving, waxing, or lumps and bumps in the wrong places. I think she is on to something.