P!nk has offered to pay the fine for the female Norwegian beach handball team, who were penalised for not wearing the bikini bottoms mandatory for female players.
Voicing her outrage in a tweet on Sunday, the singer tweeted:
“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. Good on ya, ladies. I’ll be happy to pay your fines for you. Keep it up.”
The team incurred the €1,5000 fine (2,400 AUD) last week, whilst competing at the European Beach Handball Championship in Bulgaria.
Their red shorts were labelled a “breach of clothing regulations“.
The international rules of the game stipulate that women must wear bikini bottoms, despite men being able to wear shorts.
Although the team contested the fine, the Norwegian Handball Federation paid.
The European Handball Federation (EHF), recognising the controversy of their decision, released a statement explaining that they would donate the fine.
Namely, they will donate the €1,5000 to “a major international sports foundation which supports equality for women and girls in sports.”
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. Good on ya, ladies. I’ll be happy to pay your fines for you. Keep it up.
— P!nk (@Pink) July 25, 2021
“We are very much aware of the attention the topic has received over the past days, and while changes cannot happen overnight, we are fully committed that something good comes out of this situation right now which is why the EHF has donated the fine for a good cause promoting equality in sports,” said EHF President Michael Wiederer.
He noted that the game rules are governed not by the EHF, but at an international level.
“(A)ny formal decision on the ‘Rules of the Game’ in beach handball is one of the International Handball Federation and hence I have to reiterate that change can only happen at IHF level. We are committed though to doing all we can to influence this“.
He also emphasised that EHF has shown commitment to bring gender equality to the sport.
“Women’s handball is treated equally in what concerns the competitions systems – and much earlier than in women’s football,” he said.
“Just like in indoor handball, every single EHF Beach Handball EURO has been organised at the very highest level and done so in parallel with the men’s event every second year and with great success on and off the court.”
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