July 18th witnessed Norway’s female volleyball team swapping the traditional bikini bottoms for shorts during a match against Spain at the European Beach Handball Championship in Varna, Bulgaria. The team opted for shorts instead of a bikini, which they found too revealing.
The team also claimed that the bikini bottoms make them feel unnecessarily sexualized and uncomfortable when they have their periods amidst others. However, the European Championships organizers have fined the team for wearing anything covering more than 10cm of their bu*ts.
The Norwegian beach handball women claimed bikini bottoms make them feel unnecessarily sexualized and uncomfortable.
“Women should wear a bikini where the top should be a tight-fitting sports bra with deep openings at the arms. The bottom must not be more than ten centimeters on the sides.” The regulation regarding game attire in the European Championships in beach handball stated. .
The team (pictured here) had opted for shorts but eventually had to wear bikini bottoms due to the threat of disqualification.
norwaybeachhandballwomen -Via
Speaking to National Broadcaster NRK, player Katinka Haltvik claimed they were first told about a fine of 50 euros person per match, a thing that would have landed them a fine of about 4850 euros. She added: “We accepted that. However, just before the match, we were told that we would be disqualified if we play like that. So we had to go with the bikini bottoms.”This is precisely what the team was asked to wear.
Igor Kralj/Pixsell/PA Photos
Eventually, the women donned shorts to their bronze final match against Spain despite the rules. The Norwegian handball federation has intervened, stating it’s willing to pay the fine for the team. “It is a sport with a lot of movement, and you are hindered by the bikini. There is also discomfort associated with menstruation and not least religion.” Valerie Nicolas, French Team Manager, backed Norway’s stand.Eventually, the women wore shorts to their bronze final match against Spain despite the rules.
Norwegian beach handball team
At the moment, the Congress of the European Handball Federation (EHF) has confirmed that they have approved Norwegian Beach Handball Association’s proposal to abolish the international regulation demanding tight sports bras and bikini bottoms. The EHF commission is working on a proposal and will then present it to the EHF board."There is discomfort associated with menstruation and not least religion.” Valerie Nicolas, French Team Manager, has since backed Norway’s stand.
While the mentioned above sits in the pipeline, EHF on Monday issued fines against the team over its decision to wear shorts. The Federation claimed that the Disciplinary Commission at the Beach Handball EURO 2021 has dealt with a case of improper clothing. “In the bronze medal game against Spain on Sunday, the team of Norway played with shorts that are not according to the Athlete Uniform Regulations defined in the IHF Beach Handball Rules of the Games,” The EHF said in the statement.
