The Qatar women's basketball team forfeited its Asian Games match against Mongolia yesterday after players were refused permission to wear a hijab. "The Qatari players ... refused to take off the hijab," Asian Games Organizing Committee spokeswoman Anna Jihyun You told The Associated Press. "At 4:25 p.m. local time (10 minutes after the scheduled start), the match was declared forfeited and awarded to Mongolia." The match officials did not receive any instructions to allow the head covers, and were only following the rules which restrict the use of headgear, hair accessories, and jewelry, You said. Meanwhile, competitors have been allowed to wear hijabs in other sports, including badminton and shooting. The rule in basketball came into focus this year when two Indian Sikh players were told to remove their turbans during the Asia Cup in July in China. This month, FIBA said it was launching a two-year trial phase allowing players to wear head coverings, after seeking permission, in domestic competitions. A national federation has to petition FIBA to allow players to play with their heads covered, plus submit follow-up reports twice a year. FIBA's central board will evaluate the rule again in 2015, and determine whether to allow head covers at the lowest official international level from next summer. A full review in 2016 will decide if it will become a permanent rule change after the 2016 Olympics.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.