Handball Federation gets rid of bikini uniform rule after accusations of sexism
Uniform standards in sports have a long history of being divisive and gendered. In recent years, there has been a collective push for change, coming from women athletes including gymnasts, badminton players, and tennis stars.
In a new development, the International Handball Federation (IHF) has changed their uniform policy for female players. Women will now be allowed to wear bike shorts and tank tops, replacing a previous ruling of bikini bottoms and crop tops.
In October, the IHF changed its rules so that women and men can both wear tank tops, and shorts that can reach a maximum of the mid-thigh. The tank top regulations are still skewed, however: women must wear "body fit" tank tops — unlike men — and "short tight pants". The new uniform rules will come into force from Jan. 1, 2022.
The move comes after the European Handball Federation (EHF) imposed a fine of €1500 ($1,775) on the Norwegian women's beach handball team in July, who wore shorts the European Beach Handball Championships as the men's team did, instead of the mandatory bikini bottoms. The EHF deemed these shorts "improper". The backlash spread quickly, with pop star Pink taking on the cause and even offering to pay the fines.
Tweet may have been deleted
The EHF eventually paid the aforementioned fine, stating that they donated the money to an unnamed sports foundation that advocates for equality.
"We are very much aware of the attention the topic has received over the past days, and while changes cannot happen overnight, we are fully committed that something good comes out of this situation right now which is why the EHF has donated the fine for a good cause promoting equality in sports," the organization stated.
Seemingly, the EHF has not outlined uniform changes in their rules and regulations. The official handbook currently provides rules for colours and advertising on the uniform kits of players.
Pressure mounted in the handball community, with players calling these restrictions on uniform sexist. Sports ministers from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland wrote a letter to the IHF, encouraging an update to the dress code and to discriminatory policies.
In July, a campaign was launched by Norway-based activist Talitha Stone, in conjunction with gender equality group Collective Shout, calling on the handball committee to "Let them wear shorts!" Her petition garnered over 61,000 signatures.
On the campaign page, Stone is quoted saying, "Why should female athletes be punished for wearing an outfit which is functional and practical allowing freedom of movement without being worried about possible exposure to a big audience as well as unwanted comments and sexual harassment?"
It's a step forward in the fight against sexist uniforms, one of many which have seen women athletes pushing the boundaries of what they're expected to wear when competing. Here are seven more instances of women throwing their uniforms out and wearing what they wanted to wear.
(责任编辑:资讯)
- DNC 2024 speech: Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have a superpower no other Democrat has.
- 春节假期 我市接待游客85.24万人次
- Mike Flanagan shares epic list of his favourite horror movies on Letterboxd
- 12 Places that Celebrate Women in Science
- Flying spaghetti monster and unworldly life filmed in deep sea footage
- Upgrade Your Monitor, Not Your GPU
- 春节假期乐 冰雪旅游热
- Best headphones deals: Sony headphones on sale at Walmart
- How to watch Michigan vs. Purdue football without cable: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
- Table tennis star Shin Yu
- Is 'Interstellar' An Antidote To Humanity's Space Apathy?
- Year after deadly crowd crush, victims, families yet to leave it behind
- 春节假期 我市接待游客85.24万人次
-
How to watch 'Kinds of Kindness': When is it streaming?
Table of ContentsTable of ContentsThe best streaming deals to watch 'Kinds of Kindness':BEST FOR NEW ...[详细] -
Multitasking Benchmark: PC Gaming + YouTube + Discord
In today's article we're going to look at multitasking performance when gaming. This is a complex su ...[详细] -
春节越来越近,大街小巷弥漫着浓浓的年味。这时候,一群人为市民盼望的年货包裹继续奔波忙碌,他们就是快递员。1月22日,天气阴冷,小雨伴着寒风。快递员李体健开着配送车穿梭在大街小巷,将一件件包裹完好无损地 ...[详细]
-
S3 Graphics: Gone But Not Forgotten
These days, it's rare to see a new hardware company break ground in the world of PCs. However, 30 ye ...[详细] -
The Weird, Wonderful World of Water Towers
These behemoths of steel, iron, or concrete can often be seen for miles around. They’re fixtur ...[详细] -
Activitiy at N. Korea's Punggye
The Tunnel No. 4 at North Korea's only known nuclear test site Punggye-ri is blown up on May 24, 201 ...[详细] -
Most phone shoppers would be rocking the latest and greatest model, were it not for budget constrain ...[详细]
-
SAVE $200: The Amazon Fire 65-inch QLED TV is on sale as of Nov. 7 for $599.99 at Amazon. That's a s ...[详细]
-
Amazon Android Days sale 2024: Save on unlocked phones, tablets, and more
Table of ContentsTable of ContentsUPDATE: Aug. 28, 2024, 1:50 p.m. EDT This story has been updated w ...[详细] -
Kansas abortion vote: The state is rigging the election on the right.
Roe v. Wadeis gone. In a landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. ...[详细]
- Venture Missionaries
- Best headphones deals: Sony headphones on sale at Walmart
- North Korea fires ballistic missiles as US aircraft carrier prepares for drills with South Korea
- Wordle today: The answer and hints for November 1
- Which iPad Model Is Right for You?
- Could humans have babies in space safely? Here's what we know.
- Perfect movie to kick off the Christmas season: 'Anna and the Apocalypse'