Pop singer Pink offered to pay the fines for the Norwegian female beach handball team after they wore shorts in defiance of a league rule requiring the ladies to wear bikinis during games. Pink said, “The European handball federation SHOULD BE FINED FOR SEXISM,” in reference to the Norwegian men’s team, which is allowed to wear shorts.

Beach handball is among sports being considered for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Pink posted Saturday on her Instagram account:

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.

Singer Pink performs onstage during the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The European Handball Federation fined the team $1,770 after the women wore shorts instead of bikini bottoms during a tournament game, violating uniform requirements implemented by the International Handball Federation (IHF).

The fine came after Norway’s recent game against Spain in Bulgaria, “because the players’ shorts were ‘not according to the athlete uniform regulations,’ the BBC reported.

The team posted a photo wearing shorts on their Instagram page:

Former female World No. 1 professional tennis player Billie Jean King weighed in, offering support for the women forced to wear bikini bottoms that do not cover “more than 10cm on any sides.”

“The sexualization of women athletes must stop,” the former tennis star said:

The Norwegian team had petitioned Norwegian Handball Federation previously to wear shorts, “prompting the European Handball Federation to threaten the team with a fine or disqualification,” ESPN reported.

“It’s not [appropriate clothing for] the activity when they are playing in the sand. The women’s team trains and competes in ‘what they want, like the boys’ at home in Norway, but is subject to the International Handball Federation’s clothing rules when playing abroad,” Norwegian Handball Federation president Kåre Geir Lio said.

The Norwegian Handball Association supported the Norwegian team in a Facebook post Tuesday:

We are very proud of these girls who at the European Championships in Beachhandball raised their voice and told us that NOK IS ENOUGH! We at the Norwegian Handball Association stand behind you and support you. Together we will continue to fight to change the international regulations for attire, so that players can play in the cloth they are comfortable with!