Female Handball Players Fined for Refusing Bikini Uniform


The Norwegian women’s beach handball team has been fined. European Handball Federation On Monday, after players don shorts instead of the required bikini bottoms during a game over the weekend.

The International Handball Federation requires women to wear “tight-fitting bikini bottoms with an upward angled cut to the upper leg.” Bikini bottoms should not be more than four inches around the edge. Men, on the other hand, can wear shorts up to four inches above the knees, as long as they’re not “too baggy.”

Jessica Rockstroh, spokesperson for the International Handball Federation, said on Tuesday she did not know why the rules were enforced. “We are investigating from the inside,” he said.

Rockstroh said the organization is currently focusing on the Olympics, not uniforms, and the organization has never received formal complaints before. He later said that Norway is the only country that has formally filed a complaint. “We know globally that other countries love to play in bikinis, especially in South America for example,” she said.

The Norwegian team had been planning to break the rules for weeks to draw attention to the double standard for female athletes. The players wore shorts during Sunday’s bronze medal match against Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships in Varna, Bulgaria.

“I don’t understand why we can’t play in shorts,” said Martine Welfler, one of the Norwegian players. “With so much body shaming and stuff like that these days, you should be able to wear a little more while playing.”

Each Norwegian player was fined 150 euros (approximately $177) and a total of 1,500 euros.

Kare Geir Lio, head of the Norwegian Handball Federation, said the organization would pay the fine. He said Norway has repeatedly complained to the international federation about the bikini bottom requirement since 2006. “Nothing happened,” he said.

Female athletes have repeatedly challenged the double standard for their uniforms in recent years. Women are required to wear more revealing clothing in various sports branches such as athletics, beach volleyball and tennis. In 2011, the Badminton World Federation, women should wear skirts or dresses Playing at elite level to help stimulate growing interest in women’s badminton.

In some cases, women were fined because their uniforms were too long. In others, the uniforms were too short.

During the British track championships at the weekend, Paralympic sprinter and long jumper Olivia Breen He said he was told by an official that the running shorts he was wearing were inappropriate.

Ms. Breen said in an interview on Tuesday, “I was chatting with my teammate, he was really happy and this official came up to me and said, ‘Can I talk to you, Olivia?’ he said. “I think ‘I think your panties are very revealing and I think you should consider buying a new pair of shorts,'” she said.

Ms. Breen said she was surprised: “My first response was ‘are you kidding?’ it happened. And he just said, ‘No, I’m not. And I think you should honestly consider buying some shorts.”

The change left Miss Breen and her teammate speechless, he added. “It just pissed me off,” he said. “We shouldn’t be told what we can and cannot wear. Why are you making such a comment?”

Mr. Lio of the Norwegian Handball Federation said there was no reason why women should wear bikini bottoms at games. “Women should have the right to wear a jersey that they think is appropriate for sports,” he said.

In a letter to the International Handball Federation in 2006, the Norwegian handball federation said that the requirement for women to wear bikini bottoms is insensitive to the cultural norms of some countries and may be embarrassing for those who don’t want their bodies exposed so much. Copy seen by The New York Times. In the letter, it was stated that in handball, a sport that combines elements of football and basketball, goalkeepers should be allowed to wear less revealing jerseys, as they use all parts of their bodies to block shots.

European Handball Federation spokesman Thomas Schoeneich said on Tuesday that the organization only follows the rules set by the international federation. “Change can only happen at the level of the International Handball Federation,” he said.

The Norwegian Handball Federation proposed changing the uniform requirements for female athletes at the European Handball Federation meeting in April. Mr. Schoeneich said the motion is expected to be discussed by the International Handball Federation in November.

Norwegian handball player Miss Welfler, He said there are players in Norway who don’t want to compete internationally because of their kit requirements. (Norwegian players may wear shorts in domestic tournaments.)

“It’s really sad because maybe the best players won’t be attending,” he said. He also said that female actors are tired of being watched in skinny outfits. “We need to focus on the game,” he said.

Janice Forsyth, associate professor of sociology at Western University in Canada and former director of the university’s Center for International Olympic Studies, said certain uniforms can give athletes an advantage, particularly in athletics and swimming. However, wearing shorts instead of bikinis in beach handball does not allow athletes to jump higher or move faster on the sand.

“I don’t see what weight this argument has,” he said. “It’s silly to say that wearing less clothes, as women should, makes them better athletes.”

Amanda Morris contributing reporting.



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