Pink Wants To Pay Fines Of Norwegian Handball Players Who Ditched Bikini Uniforms

The Norwegian handball team refusing to wear bikinis was one of the big stories to come out of the Olympics over the weekend. Their complaint is fairly simple, the team wanted to get a chance to choose the type of outfit they could wear in matches. Up to this point, it has been mandatory for women's teams to wear a slim bikini to competitions. The team decided to protest to get a chance to wear more comfortable outfits. Each team member was subsequently hit with a fine over the protest. Singer Pink would be more than happy to cover the bill!

@handballandslagene / Instagram

When the team trotted out to play their Bronze medal game at the European Championships, they got together for a team picture, which was later posted on Instagram. The ladies had ditched their bikini bottoms in favor of tight short shorts! It wasn't like they came out with baggy shorts and some large t-shirts! This minor change in their dress code, though, was enough for the European federation to hit each player with a $177 fine. Also, not the biggest fine in the world. With the noise around the news, there's certainly hope the dress code will change soon!

Andemaya *derivative work: LK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We are guessing that Pink was scrolling on Twitter when she picked up this story. She then took to her own Twitter page to send some love to the Norwegian team. Slamming the current uniform rules as sexist. She didn't hesitate to offer to pay up the fine that the Handball federation had handed down to the players, saying,

"I’m VERY proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team FOR PROTESTING THE VERY SEXIST RULES ABOUT THEIR “uniform”. 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.

https://twitter.com/Pink/status/1419127641068630016

Marcus Cyron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Since the story came out, the team has received plenty of good vibes and well wishes. As well as the promise of cash from Pink. Maybe most importantly for them has been the support of their own federation. This means that they won't have to worry about getting kicked off the team. All over, wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms. The Norwegian Handball Federation said on social media,

"We are very proud of these girls who are at the European Championships in beach handball,” while adding. “They raised their voice and told us that enough is enough".

John Loo from Sunnyvale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The bikini uniform issue is something that has come up in other women's sports. Many of the world's sporting rule makers have actually reacted positively, changing some of the rules. For example, bikini uniforms are no longer the only thing that women can wear to beach volleyball tournaments. This change actually came about thanks to different countries participating in the sport. Where women are not allowed to wear bikinis for religious purposes. So now, women can choose to wear a full swimsuit or a t-shirt and shorts as a volleyball uniform. With this incident, beach handball could follow in those footsteps in years to come!