Camogie finals to go ahead with teams playing under protest

The Star

14-05-2025

(Reuters) -This weekend's camogie provincial finals will go ahead despite players battling for the right to wear shorts, with the teams saying on Wednesday that they intend to play but will do so under protest.
Camogie, one of Ireland's national Gaelic games and the female equivalent of hurling, hit the headlines recently with athletes protesting a rule which allows them to wear a skirt, skort or divided skirt, but not shorts.
Last weekend's Munster final was postponed after Cork and Waterford had announced they would wear shorts and not change into skorts, and Saturday's Leinster senior and intermediate finals were at risk of suffering the same fate.
All four teams, Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow and Laois, issued a statement saying they will wear shorts and want their choice to be respected but if the rule is enforced they will change into skorts, solely to ensure the matches are not abandoned.
"As part of this protest, we do not consent to any photography or video to be taken of the matches themselves, should we be forced to wear skorts," the statement said.
"We call on the Leinster Council to ensure this is enforced and we ask both the media and supporters to respect our position."
Two motions to introduce shorts were defeated last year, but after player, media and political pressure, the Camogie Association of Ireland called a special congress for May 22 where another vote will be held on the matter.
(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis)