OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's chances of winning this year's women's World Cup are being hampered by a problem with their new kit
They were looking forward to wearing the kit made by Nike (NYSE:NKE), which took over as supplier to the Norwegian FA (NFF) on Jan. 1, as they head to Canada to face Germany, Ivory Coast and Thailand in the World Cup which kicks off in June.
But the manufacturer has not yet produced a kit designed for the female figure and the players were provided with what were described as "unisex" tops in a recent photoshoot.
"We know they have done their best and that they haven't had much time, but it is a bit unfortunate that we should walk around with strips that look like tents," Norway captain Trine Roenning told state broadcaster NRK.
With the Nordic nation's women ranked 11th in the world compared to 70th for the men, the NFF has been accused of getting its priorities wrong, but the ruling body is blaming teething problems.
"In an ideal world we would have had a strip tailored for women by now but it takes time to get the partnership working and to get women's kits sewn," Ove Nystuen, head of marketing for the women's national team, told NRK.
"The World Cup will be the only tournament without tailored kits for the women," he added.