Controversial broadcaster Piers Morgan has come in for criticism over a sarcastic tweet about the uniforms worn by male Olympic divers.

Morgan, 56, shared an image of Great Britain duo Thomas Daley and Matty Lee competing in Tokyo, with the pair wearing nothing but speedo-style budgy smugglers.

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

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

The comment comes amid plenty of discussion around the rules for men and women when it comes to the attire they are allowed to wear during competition.

Germany’s female gymnasts have been praised for choosing bodysuits over leotards at the 2020 Games, a move they said went against the sexualisation of their sport.

Meanwhile the Norwegian women’s beach handball team were fined after they protested the bikini bottoms dress code imposed on them.

The squad chose to wear bike shorts and were promptly stung 150 euros per player by the European Handball Federation.

Singer Pink was among those to criticise the financial penalty, saying the federation “SHOULD BE FINED FOR SEXISM”.

On the move by Germany’s female gymnasts, Morgan said: “What a load of nonsense. May as well wear sackcloths and be done with it.”

And his latest opinion was quick to set off a flurry of reaction, with plenty of backlash.

“I could view this as sarcasm if it weren’t for the fact men do have a choice over what they wear to compete and would freely be allowed to wear fully body unitards if they wished, while women are penalised if they don’t adhere to the skimpy requirement,” one person replied.

Another said: “Plenty of swimmers have competed in full body suits in the past. At least they have a choice. Not like women who get sanctioned unless they play in skimpy bikini bottoms. Don't let that stop you undermining that cause though. No wonder people of this country are the way they are.”

A third said Morgan simply doesn’t comprehend the issue.

“It’s about them, (not) you. If they didn’t want to wear it then fine,” the Twitter user said.

“If they were uncomfortable with their appearance or felt their body was being sexualised then fine. It’s not about you or anyone else.”

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Daley and Lee went on to narrowly win the men's synchronised 10m platform diving gold medal, upsetting favourites China and preventing the diving powerhouse from any chance of a golden sweep.

Daley and Lee totalled 471.81 points in Monday's final, edging the Chinese duo of Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen (470.58) by 1.23 points.