Pink Offers to Pay Fine for Norwegian Women's Handball Team That Refused to Wear Bikini Bottoms

Pink offered to pay the considerable fine for the Norwegian women's handball team, who violated a dress code rule that the singer called "sexist."

July 26, 2021

After the Norwegian Women’s Handball Team was hit with a $1,765.28 fine by European Handball Federation for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms, Pink stepped in to support the team,

Per People, the pop star has offered to pay the entirety of the fine after the EHF said the women played in “improper clothing” over their collective decision.

“I’m VERY proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team FOR PROTESTING THE VERY SEXIST RULES ABOUT THEIR ‘uniform,’” Pink wrote on Twitter. “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.”

The team was fined last week after their bronze medal match against Spain, and were ordered to cough up 150 Euros per player. The International Handball Federation’s rules—which are now being questioned by many—state that “female athletes must wear bikini bottoms… with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg. The side width must be of a maximum of 10 centimeters.”

Katinka Haltvik, a player on the team, said the decision to wear the shorts was last minute, and decided by the entire team. “It was very spontaneous,” she said. “We thought, ‘Let’s just do it now, and then see what happens.’”

Pink recently addressed her relationship with Britney Spears amid her conservatorship battle, saying that she could have “reached out more” to Spears over the years.

“I don’t like feeling helpless or powerless, and I can only imagine how she feels, and she could have used some support,” she said on Watch What Happens Live. “And the media tore her apart, and the paparazzi are scum, and I wish I could have reached out and gave her a hug.”