Advertisement

P!nk supports Norway beach handball team

These are the shorts the team wanted to wear – but organisers said no, and fined them.

These are the shorts the team wanted to wear – but organisers said no, and fined them. Photo: AAP

Pop star P!nk has offered to foot the bill after Norway’s beach handball team were fined for protesting “very sexist” uniform rules.

Last week at a European championship match in Bulgaria the team was fined €1500 ($A2400) because the women wore shorts instead of “close fit” bikini bottoms.

But the three-time Grammy winning singer quickly offered to put up the funds, telling the women to keep fighting.

“Good on ya, ladies. I’ll be happy to pay your fines for you. Keep it up,” P!nk wrote on Twitter.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) said its disciplinary commission had dealt with “a case of improper clothing” in the bronze medal match against Spain.

It added that the shorts were “not according to the Athlete Uniform Regulations defined in the IHF Beach Handball Rules of the Game”.

But P!nk  told the world she thinks the federation should be the ones being fined – for sexism.

“I’m very proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team for protesting the very sexist rules about their ‘uniform’. The European handball federation should be fined for sexism,” she wrote.

She also retweeted an explanation of why the uniform was sexist, along with a suggestion that either the women should be allowed to wear the same as the men, or the men should have to play in budgie smugglers.

 

The Norwegian Handball Association at the time posted a photo of the team on Instagram, expressing pride over their act of defiance and pledging to support the players in efforts to have the rules changed.

“We are very proud of these girls who during the European Championships in Beach Handball raised their voices and announced that enough is enough!” it wrote.

“We in the Norwegian Handball Association stand behind you and support you. Together we will continue to fight to change the international regulations for clothing, so that players can play in the clothes they are comfortable with!”

International Handball Federation rules stipulate that female players must wear tops and bikini bottoms, while men wear tank tops and shorts.

“Athletes’ uniforms and accessories contribute to helping athletes increase their performance as well as remain coherent with the sportive and attractive image of the sport,” the uniform regulations add.

“Female athletes must wear bikini bottoms … with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg.”

The EHF has since issued a statement with a promise to re-evaluate the dress code.

It comes as the German gymnastics team staged a similar protest, opting for a uniform they felt were less sexualised than the usual bikini-cut leotards seen in the sport.

From the hips up, the unitards did not look out of place.

But the long-legged uniforms reached down to the women’s ankles, intending to push back against what Germany’s sport federation (DTB) has called “sexualisation in gymnastics”.

-with agencies

Topics: Sport
Advertisement
Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter.
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.