P!nk says she will pay the fine imposed on the Norwegian women’s beach handball team for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms at a recent tournament.
The European Handball Federation fined the team 1,500 euros (about $2,220 CAD) last week for “improper clothing” at the European Beach Handball Championships in Bulgaria.
The official rules state that female players must wear bikini bottoms “with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg. The side width must be of a maximum of 10 centimetres.” Male players can wear shorts that are at least 10 cm above the knee and not “too baggy.”
The women’s team wore shorts to protest the rule. “We really hope this will result in a change of this nonsense rule,” they wrote in an Instagram post on July 20.
On Saturday, P!nk 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 responded via Instagram Story: “Wow! Thank you so much for the support.”
The Norwegian Handball Federation had already offered to pay the fine. “We are very proud of these girls who during the European Championships raised their voices and announced that enough is enough! 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.”