Norway’s beach handball teamed have been slapped with a fine for being ‘improperly’ dressed at a European championship match in Bulgaria.
As reported by ABC News, according to the European Handball Federation (EHF) the team had been fined due to “a case of improper clothing” during their bronze medal match against Spain.
The women’s team who had opted to wear bike shorts in place of bikini bottoms apparently don’t adhere to rules of the handball game. The EHF stated that bike shorts are “not according to the Athlete Uniform Regulations defined in the IHF Beach Handball Rules of the game”.
As per ABC News, the uniform regulations state that, “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.”
“Female athletes must wear bikini bottoms… with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg.”
Yeah, because women wearing skin tight bike shorts would totally hinder them to perform at their absolute best. Meanwhile men are competing in tank tops and baggy shorts, because apparently baggy shorts don’t affect them?
In what could only be deemed as a totally outdated, archaic and obviously gendered double standard in the sport, the women making the decision to wear what they felt was a more appropriate and updated piece of clothing for the match resulted in them receiving a 150 euro fine per player.
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On the flipside, the Norwegian federation has backed in the handball team, as well as Norway’s sports minister Abid Raja adding that it was “completely ridiculous” and furthermore adding that changed need to be made.
The Norwegian federation took to Twitter to express their support for the team.
They wrote, “We at NHF stand behind you and support you. Together we will continue to fight to change the rules for clothing so that players can play in the clothes they are comfortable with.”
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