Olympic beach volleyball stars in wardrobe malfunction after thong incident (2024)

Melissa Humana Paredes and Sarah Pavan had a wardrobe malfunction for the ages back in 2017 (Image: Getty)

Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes faced what they described as the "most embarrassing moment" of their careers during a wardrobe malfunction that saw them borrowing thongs from dancers at an event in The Hague. The beach volleyball sensations have cemented their status as titans of the sport with a string of victories, including clinching the women's gold at the 2019 World Championships and triumphing at the Commonwealth Games in both 2018 and 2022.

Still on top of her game, Humana-Paredes is eyeing Olympic glory at the Paris 2024 Games alongside her new partner Brandie Wilkerson with the pair winning their opening match of the preliminary round in Pool D against Paraguay. Despite their extensive experience, the pair encountered an unexpected snag at a World Tour event in The Hague back in 2017.

Having progressed to the semi-finals, the athletes had been accustomed to playing indoors wearing leggings. However, they were abruptly informed that they couldn't step onto the court without matching bikini bottoms, leading to a cringe-worthy scramble to borrow used thongs just before their match.

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The pair were forced to find bikini bottoms minutes before their semi-final clash (Image: Getty Images)

In a candid YouTube video released in the summer of 2020, Humana-Paredes recounted the mortifying tale: "We were used to wearing leggings during our games indoors and 10 minutes before the game started, the refs called us and we did the coin toss. We were getting ready to go outside for service," she said.

"We took our pants off to walk over to the outdoor courts and we were wearing different bathing suit bottoms. The hotel was 45 minutes away and we didn't have to go there. We didn't have other pairs of bottoms on us". Pavan interjected: "Oh my God I have anxiety just thinking about," to which Humana-Paredes added: "It freaks me out".

She recounted how their appeal to play in leggings was refused by the official because it wasn't deemed chilly enough. The tournament organisers suggested they borrow bikini bottoms previously worn by the event's dancers - akin to thongs. Pavan then said: "These dancers were less than five feet tall and they were wearing thongs! We tried them on over our other bottoms."

Faced with no other choice and time ticking away, the two appealed to the Swiss team, fresh from winning their semi-final. "They were feeling good so we decided to ask them for their bottoms, which they just played in," revealed Humana-Paredes.

She elaborated on their unusual request: "We said 'Hey guys, we don't have our uniforms ready, can we wear yours?'" This led to bewilderment from the Swiss players, while their Brazilian challengers were already prepping on the outdoor court.

At the eleventh hour, they managed to secure the Swiss team's sweaty swimsuits to don over their own. Nonetheless, weakened by the lack of warm-up time, they faced a demoralising 2-1 (16-21, 21-13, 15-11) loss. Pavan revealed: "That was the most uncomfortable game of my life. Double bikini bottoms - not good. I don't recommend it."

Echoing her partner's sentiment, Pavan's teammate confessed: "That's probably one of my most embarrassing moments, just like a rookie move. And now we pull our pants down before every game to make sure we're wearing the same bottoms."