Camogie final postponed due to planned players' protest over shorts ban
FILE PHOTO: The shadow of a player is cast over hurling sticks laid out on the ground for players to take before the Scariff v Tubber GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) Intermediate Hurling Championship final at Cusack Park in Ennis, Ireland, September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo
A planned protest by camogie players in Ireland over the right to wear shorts has led to the postponement of a provincial final, the Munster Camogie Council said on Friday.
Less than 24 hours before the Munster final between Cork and Waterford was due to take place, the decision was made to defer the game after both sets of players had announced their intention to wear shorts, in defiance of the current rules.
The protests began last weekend, with Dublin and Kilkenny players entering the pitch wearing shorts, and were then forced to change into skorts or the game would be abandoned.
The rules of camogie, the women's equivalent of hurling, state that playing gear must include skirt, skort -- a pair of shorts with an overlapping panel resembling a skirt -- or divided skirt.
The protests follow a Gaelic Players Association (GPA) survey where 83% of players want the choice of wearing shorts, and two motions to introduce shorts were defeated at last year's Camogie Association of Ireland Congress.
The Munster final was set to see these protests go even further, after players said they would not be changing into skorts, and were prepared to forego their chance to play in the final, but that decision has now been taken out of their hands.
"As the current camogie rules of play are still in place and the players have indicated they would not be prepared to play the game in skorts, the decision has been made to defer the game in the best interests of all players and officials involved," a statement said.
Under the Association's rules, another challenge to the rule could not be put forward until 2027, but on Thursday they announced a special congress for May 22 to vote on the issue, but the players were still set to go ahead with their protest.
The Munster Council said that details of a rescheduled fixture will be announced in due course, and is likely to be after May 24 when if the motion passes, the new rule giving the option to wear shorts or skorts would take effect. REUTERS
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