Women’s sports associations across the country Europe Call on the presidents of the International and European Handball Federation to resign, accusing them of “blatantly sexist” in the rules requiring female athletes to wear bikini bottoms.
Norwegian Women’s Beach Handball Team Fined 1,500 Euros (£1,270) for wearing shorts On July 19, during the European Beach Handball Championships against Spain in Varna, Bulgaria, they protested against this rule.
The European Handball Federation (EHF) stated that the Norwegian team received disciplinary action for “improperly dressed”. In a subsequent statement, EHF stated that it is “committed to popularizing beach handball” together with the International Handball Federation (IHF) and will discuss the issue of player uniforms at the newly elected committee meeting in August.
This fine is equivalent to 150 euros per player and is paid by the Norwegian Handball Federation, which has previously filed a formal complaint against the bikini bottoms regulations.
According to International Hand Federation ruleFemale players who play beach handball must wear “tops and bikini bottoms and the final accessories”, while male players must wear “vest and shorts and the final accessories.”
“This is a blatant sexist practice that needs to be eliminated,” said Luisa Rizzitelli, president of Assist, an Italian association that promotes and defends the rights of female athletes.
Assist, one of seven associations, including the Alice Milliat Foundation in France and Discover Football in Germany, has sent letters to IHF Chairman Hassan Moustafa and his EHF colleague Michael Wiederer asking them to resign.
In the letter, they wrote that the two federations “both established an embarrassing point of no return for their image as an international sports organization.”
Rizzitelli stated that the International Hand Federation’s dress code “should not mean the exploitation of women’s bodies”, adding: “Not only did they not immediately cancel the rules [after the incident with Norway], But they confirmed the fine-this is a shameful thing. “
When contacted for comment, IHF mentioned the Guardian Previous statement He added that the proposal for the new uniform may be submitted to the agency’s board of directors in November.
