Call it the bikini-bottom brouhaha, but don't take it lightly. It's an issue that got international attention this week, and one that can and should be easily resolved: Sports associations should drop regulations that discriminate against women and force them to wear skimpy uniforms.
A bikini-bottom protest
Credit Norway's beach handball team for taking a stand.
July 30, 2021 at 10:30PM
At the European Beach Handball (EHF) Championships in Bulgaria last week, Norway's female team was fined 1,500 euros for what the European federation called "a breach of clothing regulations." The rules state that women must wear bikini bottoms "with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg.'' Male players can just wear shorts. So, in protest, the female team wore similar shorts to its game.
The Norwegian Handball Federation paid the fine. However, in an acknowledgement of the criticism and negative media attention, the EHF said Monday that it would donate the amount "to a major international sports foundation which supports equality for women and girls in sports."
But that's not enough. An EHF official said that while "changes cannot happen overnight,'' the organization is committed to having something good come out of the situation. That "good'' ought to be changing the sexist regulation. Right now.
In fairness, it should be noted that not all female "beach'' athletes object to the bottoms. In fact, some top players have been involved in designing the skimpy uniforms, which they contend are the most comfortable and practical uniforms in which to play. Their positions should be respected by offering choice. "It's so shocking that we have to pay for not playing in our panties," player Tonje Lerstad told the BBC. She called the policy "really stupid'' and vowed to fight on to change those rules.
Meanwhile at the Olympics, similar challenges to traditional uniforms have occurred over the years. For women gymnasts, the standard competition outfit is a leotard, with long, half-length sleeved and sleeveless garments allowed. But this year, the German women's gymnastics team took a stand against outfits that don't fully cover their backsides by wearing full-body unitards.
They were the only team whose players covered their legs, but their choice was fully accepted. The difference is that Olympic rules allow uniforms that cover the legs — under rules adopted nearly a decade ago that up until now have been used mostly for religious reasons.
The EHF should take a lesson: Dump the outdated, gender-discriminatory rules on beach sport bottoms.
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