Singer-songwriter Pink has offered to pay the fine levied on the women’s beach handball team of Norway for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms. 

The Norwegian team was fined ,1500 Euros last week at the European Beach Handball Championships for “improper clothing”. 

The pop-singer took to Twitter to show her support for the team and tweeted, “I’m VERY proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team FOR PROTESTING THE VERY SEXIST RULES ABOUT THEIR “uniform”. The European handball federation SHOULD BE FINED FOR SEXISM. Good on ya, ladies. I’ll be happy to pay your fines for you. Keep it up.”

The team expressed their gratitude to the Cover Me In Sunshine singer on their Instagram stories and wrote, “Wow! Thank you so much for the support”

The Norwegian women’s beach handball team further thanked everyone and posted a thank you note on Instagram with photographs of them wearing shorts, saying, “Thank you so much for all the support ❤️? We really appreciate all the love we have received?? You’re the best ???”

The European Handball Federation claimed that the fine was imposed for the team’s choice of kit during the match against Spain in Bulgaria as their shorts were “not according to the athlete uniform regulations”. The team later said that it was ready to pay the fine. Former tennis champion Billie Jean King pointed out the double standards as men normally wear shorts while they play the game. “The sexualization of women athletes must stop,” she tweeted last week. 

Bath University handball club added that the fines were “absolutely outrageous”, claiming that such rules around bikinis could keep many aspiring sportswomen from taking up the sports professionally. Co-captain Emma Steggles gave her opinion and said: “I would feel extremely uncomfortable being made to wear a bikini to play a sport I love.”