Pink says she will pay Norway's beach handball team's 'sexist' bikini bottom fine

Pink has offered to pay the "sexist" fine handed out to Norway's women beach handball team for refusing to wear bikini bottoms.

The singer said she was "proud" of the women's team for refusing to follow the "sexist rules" that forbid female beach volleyball players from wearing shorts.

The team were fined €1,500 (£1,298) for wearing “improper clothing” as they wore shorts instead of the usual bikini bottoms during the European Beach Handball Championships in Varna, Bulgaria.

In a tweet on Monday, Pink wrote: "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 European Handball Federation stoked controversy by handing out the fine.

An EHF statement read: “The disciplinary commission at the Beach Handball Euro 2021 has dealt with a case of improper clothing.

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“In the bronze medal game against Spain on Sunday 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.

“The disciplinary commission decided to impose a fine of 150 euros per player, for a total of 1,500 euros.”

The NHF vowed to stand by its athletes and continue to lobby for a change in the outdated clothing regulations.

“We are very proud of these girls who during the European Championships raised their voices and announced that enough is enough!” the NHF said on Twitter.

“We at NHF stand behind you and support you. Together we will continue to fight to change the rules for clothing, so that players can play in the clothes they are comfortable with.”

Meanwhile, a Paralympian told ITV News an official called her athletics briefs "inappropriate", says she has received several similar accounts from other female athletes.

Olivia Breen, who mainly competes in the T38 sprint and F38 long jump events, was chided by a female official while participating at the English Championships in Bedford.

She said she was "disgusted" after the official said her briefs were "too short and inappropriate".