Warlock- Posted July 26, 2021 Posted July 26, 2021 "BBC" Together we will continue to fight to change the rules of clothing, so that the players can play with the clothing that they feel comfortable in. " That was the statement of the Norwegian Handball Federation (NHF), after the women's beach handball team from their country received a fine of US $ 1,764. Your crime? Refusing to wear a bikini bottom when competing at the European Championships. However, just a day earlier, a para-athlete was told that that very part of her outfit was "too short and revealing." Unfortunately, the attention around what female athletes (and women in general) wear is nothing new. Beach handball team fined for not wearing bikini The players of the Norwegian beach handball team complained that the panties (panties, panties, panties, in different Latin American countries) that they were told to wear in their last competition were too restrictive, sexualized and uncomfortable. That is why they chose to wear shorts (as shown in the photo above) during the match they played with Spain for the bronze medal. Before the championship started, Norway approached the International Handball Federation and asked permission for women to wear shorts. Not only was the request rejected, but they were reminded that rule infractions were punishable and when the team opted for shorts for the match, they were fined the equivalent of US $ 177 per player. The European Handball Federation (EHF) imposed the fine for the use of "inappropriate clothing" and declared that Norway had played with shorts, something that "is not in accordance with the regulations on the athlete's uniform contained in the rules of the game of beach handball of the International Handball Federation ". The reaction Many people pointed out that if male beach handball players could wear baggy tank tops and shorts that reached their upper thighs, why couldn't women wear something similar? "The most important thing is to have clothing that the athletes feel comfortable in," argued the director of the Norwegian Handball Federation, Kåre Geir Lio, who not only endorsed the women, but the federation agreed to pay the fine. Norwegian Volleyball Federation President Eirik Sordahl said: "In 2021, this shouldn't even be a problem." And the country's Minister of Culture and Sports, Abid Raja, tweeted: "It's completely ridiculous, a change of attitude is needed in the macho and conservative world of international sports." Even the American singer Pink offered to pay the fine. For many years, female players have complained about this difference in beach sports, saying that they find the bikini demeaning and impractical. Only for women "Every sport needs rules. But when we have a set of rules for women only, then we have a problem," sports journalist Renata Mendonca tells the BBC. "This is sexism at its finest. Unfortunately, sexism in sports happens a lot and plays a big factor in why so many brilliant athletes leave their field," Tova Leigh, digital content creator and former lawyer, tells the BBC. "The issue is not the shorts. The issue is that, even in 2021, women are still being told what they can and cannot wear because women's bodies are still viewed as objects for the benefit of men, which that gives everyone the right to comment, demand and have an opinion on them. "Women in sports are not taken seriously, they are treated as something showy and not like the professional athletes that they are," adds Leigh, who has often written and commented on social media about the sexist scrutiny that women's bodies face. women on a daily basis. Mendonca agrees: "There is no reasonable justification for the bikini, the sport will not change in any way if women are allowed to play in shorts; if anything, they will feel more comfortable."
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