Piers Morgan cops backlash over 'shameful' Olympics tweet

Piers Morgan has sparked controversy after weighing in on the furore surrounding athletes' outfits at the Olympics.

The German women's gymnastics team have been widely praised for opting to wear full-length bodysuits in Tokyo rather than the more traditional leotard.

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The four-member team of Elisabeth Seitz, Kim Bui, Pauline Schafer and Sarah Voss are taking a stand against the 'sexualisation' of their sport.

Gymnasts have traditionally worn bikini-cut leotards, with full-length suits only ever worn for religious reasons.

But the Germans have decided that female athletes should be able to decide what they want to wear and shouldn't have to wear revealing outfits if they don't feel comfortable.

But despite winning mass praise for their actions, one person who isn't impressed is outspoken media personality Morgan.

The British TV presenter was watching Tom Daley and Matty Lee compete in the diving on Monday night when he decided to share his thoughts.

“Shocking and shameful that male divers have to wear such overtly sexualising skimpy briefs at the Olympics," he tweeted sarcastically.

“I demand full body unitards to protect and respect their dignity."

Morgan had earlier labelled the German gymnastics move as "nonsense".

“What a load of nonsense. May as well wear sackcloths and be done with it,” he wrote.

Piers Morgan slammed for Olympics comments

Predictably, Morgan's tweets received a wave of backlash.

“You don’t get to tell women what they should/shouldn’t wear,” one user wrote.

Another commented: “Why does what they wear matter? If they compete at a high level wearing a potato sack it should be acceptable.

"Looks don’t matter in a sporting competition, only talent and skill."

And a third wrote: “The sarcasm doesn’t work when we know that the male divers have a choice.

“You are part of the problem, not the solution. Why do you not support women in having the freedom to chose appropriate sports wear that they feel comfortable in?

"Why do you feel the need to make fun of that? How insecure are you to make this an issue instead of supporting it."

The issue reared its ugly head last week in the days before the Olympics when the Norwegian women's team were fined for wearing shorts rather than bikini bottoms at the European Beach Handball Championships.

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