The Silly Season Continues!
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been reported that the Norwegian Women’s beach handball team have been fined for wearing shorts instead of the regulatory bikini bottoms!
The shorts were held by the European Handball Federation, the sport’s governing body, to be “improper clothing” and the players were fined US$177 each for this infraction of the rules.
The Disciplinary Commission ruled that:
“In the bronze medal game against Spain ….. the team of Norway played with shorts that are not according to the Athlete Uniform Regulations defined in the IHF Beach Handball Rules of the Game.”
Norway’s Handball Federation has paid the fine and stated that:
“We are very proud of these girls ….[and]…. told us that enough is enough.”
And added that:
“We will continue to fight to change the international regulations for attire, so that players can play in clothing they are comfortable with.”
Some players find wearing the bikini bottoms as degrading or impractical.
There would not appear to be any competitive advantage involved in wearing shorts over bikini bottoms within a standardised dimensional framework!
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
