The Norway women's national beach handball team is the national team of Norway. It is governed by the Norwegian Handball Federation and it represents Norway in international beach handball competitions.
In 2009 they played in the final of the European tournament, but lost to Italy after an even shootout and a golden goal in front of a home audience in Larvik.[2] Line player Ane Brustuen was awarded Best Player of the women's tournament.[3]
In 2021, the team was fined €1500 for being improperly dressed after the women wore bike shorts instead of bikini bottoms at a European championship match in Bulgaria.[5] Critics derided the fine and the underlying rule. Norway's minister for culture and sport Abid Raja described the fine as being "completely ridiculous". Former tennis champion Billie Jean King supported the team tweeting "The sexualisation of women athletes must stop".[6][7] Although the Norwegian Handball Federation announced they would pay the fines, pop singer Pink offered to pay for them.[8] Later, in November 2021, the International Handball Federation changed their dress rules to allow female players to wear some kinds of shorts, specifying "Female athletes must wear short tight pants with a close fit".[9]
References
^Andresen, Svein (15 July 2007). "Bronse i Beach-EM!" (in Norwegian). NHF. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
