Handball chiefs urged to QUIT over bikini rules

Handball chiefs are urged to QUIT over bikini rules after Norwegian team was fined for wearing shorts

A letter signed by several European sports groups has called on the European Handball Federation and International Handball Federations heads to quit
Both federations supported fining Norway’s women’s beach handball team
Fine came after team wore shorts in protest against women’s uniform rules
The rules dictate that women must wear bikini bottoms to play, while men can compete in basketball-style shorts

The heads of the European and International Handball Federations have been urged to quit after being accused of ‘blatant sexism’ over different uniform guidelines for male and female players.

Norway’s women’s beach handball team was fined £1,270 for wearing shorts during a match in protest against European Handball Federation (EHF) and International Handball Federation (IHF) rules that dictate that female players must wear bikini bottoms.

IHF rules state that ‘female athletes must wear bikini bottoms’ and which must have ‘a close fit’, are ‘cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg’ with a side depth of no more than 10 centimetres.

There appears to be no competitive advantage to the skimpier uniform. Male players may wear basketball-style shorts, leading some to suggest the uniform contributes to the sexualisation of female athletes.

‘This is a blatantly sexist custom that needs to be eliminated,’ Luisa Rizzitelli, president of Assist, an Italian group that supports female athletes, told The Guardian.

Assist is among seven associations across Europe that have written to IHF president Hassan Moustafa and EHF president Michael Wiederer demanding their resignation.

Norway’s women’s beach handball team was fined £1,270 for wearing shorts (pictured) during a match in protest against European Handball Federation (EHF) and International Handball Federation (IHF) rules that dictate that female players must wear bikini bottoms

The groups accused the federations of having established ‘an embarrassing point of no return regarding their image as international sports institutions.’

The fining of the Norwegian women’s team drew condemnation both domestically and internationally.

After the European Beach Handball Championships match against Spain in Varna, Bulgaria, on 19 July, in which the Norwegian team wore shorts, the country’s Minister for Culture and Sports, Abid Raja, tweeted: ‘What a change of attitude is needed in the macho and conservative international world of sport.’

Eirik Sordahl, the president of the Norwegian Volleyball Federation, told the national news agency NTB: ‘In 2021, it shouldn’t even be an issue.’

American singer Pink tweeted her support for the team, even offering to pay its fine.

‘I’m VERY proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team FOR PROTESTING THE VERY SEXIST RULES ABOUT THEIR ‘uniform,” Pink wrote on Twitter.

‘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.’

Tennis legend Billie Jean King also spoke out against the fines.

‘The Norwegian Women’s Beach Handball team is facing fines for wanting to wear shorts instead of bikini bottoms,’ she wrote on Twitter . ‘The bottoms are not to cover ‘more than 10cm on any sides.”

She added: ‘The men’s team wears shorts. The sexualization of women athletes must stop.’

The Norwegian Handball Federation ultimately paid the fine. The body had previously filed an official complaint against the rules surrounding female players’ uniforms.

The EHF said the team had been disciplined due to ‘improper clothing’, adding in a subsequent statement that it and the IHF were ‘committed to popularising beach handball’ and that player’s uniforms would be discussed during an August meeting.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King also spoke out against the fines over the player’s uniforms

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