Pink Offers to Pay Norwegian Handball Team’s Fines for Not Wearing Bikinis

Raising her glass! Pink offered support for the Norwegian female handball team after they were fined for refusing to abide by official uniform rules.

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“I’m VERY proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team FOR PROTESTING THE VERY SEXIST RULES ABOUT THEIR ‘uniform,’” the “So What” singer, 41, wrote via Twitter on Friday, July 24. “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.”

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.

— P!nk (@Pink) July 25, 2021

Members of the Scandinavian team were each fined 150 euros (about $177 dollars) after showing up in shorts to play a game at the Tokyo Olympics. According to The New York Times, the women had been planning for “weeks” to break the rules.

“I don’t see why we can’t play in shorts,” team member Martine Welfler told the Times on July 20. “With so much body shaming and stuff like that these days, you should be able to wear a little bit more when you play.”

International Handball Federation uniform rules state that female players must wear bottoms “with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg,” and can have no more than four inches of length. Male players, on the other hand, are allowed to wear shorts.

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After the women’s fine was announced, Norwegian Handball Federation head Kare Geir Lio told the Times that the organization would pay the fine. According to Geir Leo, Norway has complained about the requirement to the international federation for 15 years, but “nothing has happened.”

Following the controversy, the federation shared a statement of support via their official Instagram page.

“We are very proud of these girls who are at the European Championships in beach handball. They raised their voice and told us that enough is enough,” they wrote in Norwegian. “We are the Norwegian Handball Federation and we stand behind you and support you. We will continue to fight to change the international regulations for attire, so that players can play in the clothing they are comfortable with.”

As people across the world continued to reach out in support of the team, the athletes shared a sweet thank you note.

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“Thank you so much for all the support We really appreciate all the love we have received,” the team wrote in a Thursday, July 23, Instagram post. “You’re the best .”