Editorial: Twirling demeans top athlete

Eugenie Bouchard in action

I sympathise with Eugenie Bouchard.

The Canadian tennis player will now be known for her twirling as well as her tennis.

"Twirlgate" as it has come to be known, has got people talking around the globe and venting online.

Bouchard insists she was not offended by a male interviewer's request to twirl for the crowd at the Australian Open. But plenty of other people were bandying about the "sexist" label.

It has also taken the attention away from her win. The Wimbledon runner-up is a skilled player and surely tennis fans want to know her assessment of how she played rather than ogle her dress.

A post on Twitter questioned why it was okay for celebrities to twirl on the red carpet but not athletes.

I admit, it was a nice dress, and she looked stunning, but it was not the time or place to be asking an athlete to twirl.

She did not get to be 7th seed because she looks good. She trains hard and plays well.

If it's a fashion shoot for the latest tennis dress, then fine, twirl away.

Bouchard, 20, told reporters: "I'm fine with being asked to twirl if they ask the guys to flex their muscles."

But the problem is that they're not.

Okay, so the All Blacks occasionally strip down to their Jockeys in the name of advertising or take to the catwalk to model the new jersey. But can you imagine a reporter asking Richie McCaw to do a little twirl? Or perhaps flex his muscles during the after match interview.

Grand slam winner Billie Jean King summed it up well in a tweet. "Let's focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders, and not our looks."