Pink offers to pay the fine for Norwegian women’s handball team

The ‘Get The Party Started’ singer said the European Handball Federation should be fined ‘for their sexism’

Singer and songwriter Pink has offered to pay off the fine for the Norwegian women’s handball players who refused to wear bikini bottoms for their match against Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships last week.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) fined the team $1,765 (£1,283), or about $176 for each player, asserting that the women competed in “improper clothing” when they picked shorts rather than the mandated bikini bottoms.

Male players, meanwhile, are permitted to wear shorts no longer than four inches above the knee.

The 41-year-old music artist tweeted she was “proud” of the team for “protesting the very sexist rules about their ‘uniform’” and that the EHF “should be fined for their sexism.”

“Good on ya, ladies. I’ll be happy to pay your fines for you. Keep it up,” she wrote.

Women athletes must wear bikini bottoms with a close fit and cut on an upward angle towards the top of the leg, according to the International Handball Federation’s rules. “The side width must be of a maximum of 10 centimetres,” the rules say.

The Norwegian Handball Federation (NHF), the country’s national handball association, defended their team’s choice and agreed to pay the fine levelled against each competitor.

“I got a message 10 minutes before the match that they would wear the clothing that they were satisfied with. And they got our full support,” NHF President Kåre Geir Lio told NBC News.

Lio also said that the team had appealed to the EHF to allow the team to wear shorts from the beginning of the competition, but was allegedly threatened with disqualification or fines.

The team, however, decided to make a statement and wear shorts during the 18 July match.

EHF’s president Michael Wiederer, following angry reactions on social media to the penalty, said a relook into the uniform policy was on the cards.

“I can confirm that the EHF will do all it can to ensure that a change of athlete uniform regulations can be implemented,” he wrote in a statement. “Significant efforts will be made in order to further promote the sport in the best way possible for everyone, regardless of gender,” the statement added.