Norway women’s volleyball team fined because they wore shorts and not bikini bottoms

news.sky.com/story/pink-offers-to-pay-sexist-1631300-bikini-bottoms-fine-given-to-norways-beach-handball-team-12364638

Singer Pink offers to pay their fine.

Well, as we all know, Ted, women are here for the entertainment, indulgence and validation of men. We aren't entitled to dignity!

My niece used to compete at gymnastics at national level, and the rules around females' leotards were strictly enforced, including competitors not being able to wear underwear. My SIL used to talk about all the taping in place she had to do to make the bloody things stay in place. I have a vague recollection of the governing body suddenly deciding shorts were acceptable when they were talking about including "trans girls". I have no doubt that a similar rule would suddenly be acceptable should a trans woman be included in the Norwegian volley ball team. Everyone knows whose dignity counts in sport. It's not that of women and girls, for sure.

Well having your sports gear up you bum must be the most annoying thing

Nicegerbil mentioned men's shorts in the '70's.
I can remember my DH's shorts- . Yes, they were short, but not that short! Everything that needed to be covered was. Arses and meat and two veg were absolutely not on display, even when playing football.

Yes, how vile and pervy this is, saw in the news yesterday. Let's hope those women take a stand and refuse to comply, and that the men's team support them. Or the women could just all identify as men on match days .... who would dare oppose them then?

At least with gymnastics the guidelines for competition state that women have the choice to wear full length leggings/bodysuit. The issue is complex as this has been in the rules for years, but women/girls have not generally felt able to wear bodysuits like these. Often national team kit wouldn't include them as standard. It is beginning to change -

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56858863

Same with the gymnasts on TV, the male ones have legging-type things with full leg coverage whilst the females are in tiny high-cut leotards

Actually makes the whole sport look like some kind of pathetic porn-lite fantasy. Either it's a sport, in which case wear clothing necessary to perform, or its porn, in which case, GTFO

I’m sure I’m not alone in having been turned off sport and exercise by having to wear those awful gym shorts at school. Hated feeling so exposed as a self-conscious teenager.

(Not, you of course, Jesus.)

This is so bloody OBVIOUS. It's disgusting. Makes the committee look like a slavering bunch of creeps.

how many women and families don't tune in because watching women in bikinis makes them uncomfortable.

And how many women/girls are not inspired to take up the sport because they don't watch it? Rhetorical but there are ripples from all of this.

Useful photo.

I have thought that about s lot of sports gear.

Remember the Chinese swimmer who won and in the post win interview said and I'm on my period. She was fab.

We're supposed to pretend these things don't exist really.

One of the reasons the team gave for not feeling comfortable in the bikini briefs is that it isn’t practical or comfortable when they are menstruating - the uniform should be changed for that alone.

In the 70s men's shorts for sport were waay skimpy.

Since then their sports gear has slowly covered more while women's has slowly covered less.

male not make

If small briefs are required for the sport, then all participants of the sport should be wearing them - regardless of sex.

Oh.....what's that you say, make participants? They arent essential?

Ok. Give us your fucking shorts then.

Gross and sexist, yep .

Good for the Norwegian team! I saw the photos of the team wearing their shorts and they looked smart and appropriate. Bikini bottoms not so much!

Good on the Norwegian Handball Federation for agreeing to pay the fines for the players and for saying they will table a motion to get the rule changed. But seriously what the hell. You not need to wear a bikini to play beach handball, and according to the other thread beach volleyball already made changes so playerrs have choices - handball don't really have any excuse.

Completely ridiculous. All the more so when men are allowed to wear shorts twice the length of what the Norwegian team were fined for wearing.

Meanwhile, a female paralympian was shamed by an (English Championships; not Olympics) official for competing in sportswear which the official thought was too short.

www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/19/paralympian-olivia-breen-dismayed-after-being-told-sprint-briefs-too-short

The other thing which is obvious generally is that all of this turns a lot of focus- whether pervy, judgemental, moments of viewers being a bit crikey, and conversations like this on women's bodies and clothes. Often more than their sporting achievements, athleticism etc.

In these sort of news stories and the discussions that follow.

And for viewers.

I mentioned I enjoy the gymnastics but it's hard to focus when you'd be hard pushed not to have interruptions from your brain thinking
OMG it can't be comfy to have your leotard up your bum like that
Essentially waxing is compulsory for all of them like it or not
Yikes that is a really intimate view of her groin
What do they do if a really talented gymnast doesn't have such. Um. Neat tuckaway... parts.
God imagine if they missed some pubes or had a terrible wardrobe malfunction, there would be close up photos and vile comments everywhere.
That sort of thing.

As usual with this sort of thing it's not about the individual competitors.

It's about the variety of expectations, norms, pressures, team uniforms, and in some cases potential of more sponsorship etc that drive it in the first place.

The fact that so many athletes are constantly pulling their pants out of their backside - I mean I can't imagine that's not annoying etc.

For the competitors as well. They are well used to having their bodies looked at, scrutinised etc. I don't think, in an awful lot of events etc, you can get to that level and not grow immune to having people focussed on your body an awful lot. Medicals, physios, trainers, changing in communal things and on and on.

This is a societal issue. For me. Maybe a culture in sport issue.

I saw the photo of them when they previously wore the bikini bottoms. They were right up their arse crack. I can’t see how they could possibly be comfortable to play sport in.