Women's handball clothing causes widespread controversy... and the game association changes the "bikini" rule
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The International Handball Federation decided to change its rules related to women's dress and to allow players to wear shorts and a shirt that covers the abdomen, in response to the demands of human rights organizations accused of discrimination on the basis of sex, according to the newspaper "The Guardian".
Since last July, the sport's global governing body has been under international pressure, after the European Handball Federation decided to impose a fine of 1,500 euros on the Norwegian women's beach handball team for wearing shorts "like their male counterparts", instead of bikinis, during the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
The European Handball Federation described the shorts, at the time, as "improper clothing".
The International Handball Federation amended the rules and regulations, which now state that "players must wear tight-fitting shorts with a narrow fit".
Male athletes can still wear regular pants with a length of 10 cm above the knee "if not too loose", according to the latest amendments to the International Federation.
It follows a campaign by Australian activist, Talitha Stone, with the support of Gender Equality, which garnered 61,000 signatures.
"I hope this is the beginning of the end of sexism against women and girls in sport," Stone commented on the decision.
"In the future, all women and girls will be free to participate in sports without fear of the risk of interference with their dress and sexual harassment," she added.
American pop star Pink had expressed her support for the Norwegian team, "in protest against very sexual rules", and offered to pay their fines.
And last October, the sports ministers of five European countries, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland, sent a joint letter to the International Federation of Architecture, to update the old dress regulations and “not only to accommodate the current players, but also to support and encourage all athletes regardless of their gender or background to stay.” in the field of sports."
The Tokyo Olympics witnessed the victory of the first transgender woman in Olympic gold in soccer, the Canadian player, Queen, after her team defeated the Swedish women's team in the final.
According to NBC, Quinn is one of at least three transgender athletes to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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