The Norwegian women’s beach handball team was fined for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms over the weekend.
The European Handball Federation handed down the €150 ($177) fine per player for a total of €1,500 ($1,770) on Monday for the wardrobe violation during Sunday’s bronze medal game against Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships in Varna, Bulgaria.
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The team “played with shorts that are not according to the Athlete Uniform Regulations defined in the IHF Beach Handball Rules of the Game,” according to a statement from the league, which requires women to wear bottoms “with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg,” according to the New York Times.
One of the team’s players, Tonya Lurstaad, said on ITV’s Lorraine that their federation has given them “a lot of support” and added, “Every other federation as well, except the ones making the rules, have supported us. We’re so thankful for the support,” according to Fox News.
Teammate Julia Bird added, “People have been quite shocked that women today in 2021 can’t choose what they want to wear. It’s been overwhelming actually.”
The sides of the bottom garment cannot exceed four inches in length.
A spokeswoman for the federation, Jessica Rockstroh, told the outlet it is “looking into” the reason behind the rule “internally.”
Rockstroh later said the Norwegian team was the only country that complained, noting, “Globally we know that other countries like to play in bikinis, for example, especially in South America.”
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The head of the Norwegian Handball Federation, Kare Geir Lio, said the organization would pay the fine, and they had been complaining about the regulation since 2006.
