Janice Forsyth, an associate professor of sociology at Western University in Canada and a former director of the university’s International Center for Olympic Studies, said that certain uniforms, especially in track and field and swimming, could give athletes an edge. The focus should be on the game, she said. She also said female players were tired of being scrutinized in skimpy attire. “That’s really sad because maybe the best players won’t participate,” she said. (In domestic tournaments, Norwegian players can wear shorts.) Welfler, the Norwegian handball player, said there were players in Norway who did not want to compete at an international level because of uniform requirements. The motion was expected to be discussed by the International Handball Federation in November, Mr. The Norwegian Handball Federation suggested changing the uniform requirements for female athletes during a meeting of the European Handball Federation in April. “Change can only happen on an International Handball Federation level,” he said. Thomas Schoeneich, spokesman for the European Handball Federation, said on Tuesday that the organization was simply enforcing rules set by the international federation. In 2011, the Badminton World Federation decreed that women must wear skirts or dresses to play at the elite level in order to help revive flagging interest in women’s badminton. Women are required to wear more revealing outfits in several sports, including track and field, beach volleyball and tennis. “Nothing has happened,” he said.įemale athletes have spoken out against the double standards for their uniforms many times in recent decades. He said Norway had repeatedly complained about the bikini bottom requirement to the international federation since 2006. Kare Geir Lio, the head of the Norwegian Handball Federation, said the organization would pay the fine. “With so much body shaming and stuff like that these days, you should be able to wear a little bit more when you play.”Įach Norwegian player was fined 150 euros (about $177), for a total fine of €1,500. “I don’t see why we can’t play in shorts,” said Martine Welfler, one of the Norwegian players. The players wore shorts for Sunday’s bronze medal game against Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. Norway’s team had been planning for weeks to flout the rules to point out the double standard for female athletes.
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