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Czech nuclear plant in hot water after holding bikini contest for potential interns

Mary Bowerman
USA TODAY
Cars drive by the four cooling towers of the Temelin nuclear power plant on August 11, 2011 near Temelin, Czech Republic.

A Czech nuclear power station is in hot water after it used a bikini contest to hire potential interns. 

CEZ's nuclear station in the southern village of Temelín posted images of high school graduates wearing bathing suits and hard hats on its Facebook page last week. The station encouraged Facebook users to vote for the girl they liked best, with the winner earning a two-week internship at the station.

It didn't take long for the post to backfire, with some Facebook users calling it sexist and questioning whether the station preferred attractive females to those who might have other qualifications. 

The station later deleted the post and apologized, noting that it offered internships to all 10 bikini contest participants. 

"We didn't want to offend anyone," the station said in a translated Facebook post. "The purpose of the competition was to promote technical education. But if the original vision raised doubts or concerns, we are very sorry." 

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