Sunday 25th July 2021
After the bikini scandal
US singer Pink indicts handball association
At the beach handball EM there is a scandal. The European Handball Federation fined the Norwegians. They refused to wear short bikini bottoms. The US singer Pink is now suing the handball association. She says, “This is sexism!”
US singer Pink wants to support the Norwegian beach handball players in their fight against sexism. The 41-year-old wrote on Twitter that she would “like” to pay the fine for the athletes who had been charged with wearing shorts at the European Championships by the European Handball Federation (EHF).
She was “very proud” of the beach handball players’ protest against “very sexist rules,” the superstar continued. She was of the opinion that rather the EHF “should be punished for sexism”, stressed Pink. She called to the Norwegians: “Well done, ladies. Keep it up!”
According to the Norwegian Association, the fine will be 15,000 kroner (1440 euros). There have already been several offers to take over the sum, said the President of the Norwegian Association, Kare Geir Lio. However, you want to raise it out of your own pocket.
The players urge a free choice of playing attire “within a standardized framework”. Many find the currently prescribed bikinis impractical or even humiliating. The world association IHF stipulates that men must wear shorts during their beach handball games that end “at least ten centimeters” above the knee. Women players have to wear bikini bottoms that are tight-fitting and have a side width of “ten centimeters maximum”.
“Inappropriate clothing”
In the duel for third place with Spain, the Norwegians did not wear the required bikini panties, but rather longer sports pants. The Disciplinary Commission of the European Handball Federation (EHF) assessed this as a “case of inappropriate clothing”.
The change to the slightly longer pants was a “spontaneous action”, national player Katinka Haltvik reported to the public broadcaster NRK. The broadcaster had reported that the selection had already applied for not having to play in bikini panties before the first game. The umbrella organization rejected that.
As a penalty, a fine of 50 euros per person and game was announced. The sum would have been 4850 euros, which the Norwegian association would have been willing to pay. But then, before the opening game, according to Haltvik, it was suddenly said that the team would be disqualified if they compete in shorts. So the team gave in because they wanted to play. But then sent the signal to the EHF in the “small final” for third place. It wasn’t enough to win a medal, the game ended 2-0 for Spain.
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