HIGHLIGHTS

• Norway’s women’s beach handball team fined over ‘ridiculous’ uniform rule
• The team was fined 1500 Euros total for “improper clothing
• Beach Handball’s rules stipulate that female players must wear tops

Norway’s women’s beach handball team has been fined for being improperly dressed after the women wore shorts instead of bikini bottoms during a game in the sport’s Euro 2021 tournament — just days before the Tokyo Olympics.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) said in a statement that its disciplinary commission had dealt with “a case of improper clothing” in the bronze medal match against Spain. The team was fined 1500 Euros total for “improper clothing.

“We at NHF stand behind you and support you. Together we will continue to fight to change the rules for clothing so that players can play in the clothes they are comfortable with,” it added.

Beach Handball’s rules stipulate that female players must wear tops and bikini bottoms. Men wear tank tops and shorts.

“Athletes’ uniforms and accessories contribute to helping athletes increase their performance as well as remain coherent with the sportive and attractive image of the sport,” the uniform regulations add.

“Female athletes must wear bikini bottoms…with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg.”

“It’s not (appropriate clothing for) the activity when they are playing in the sand,” Norwegian Handball Federation President Kare Geir Lio was quoted as saying by NBC News from Oslo.

The women’s team trains and competes in “what they want, like the boys” at home in Norway, but is subject to the International Handball Federation’s clothing rules when playing abroad, he said.