US Sikhs, lawmakers protest basketball ban on turbans
Saturday, 30/08/2014
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=113774&boxid=58256&uid=&dat=2014-08-30
Washington: Two US lawmakers, including the lone Indian-American Congressman, have joined Sikh community groups in protesting the world basketball body International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) delay in reviewing the discriminatory policy against Sikh basketball players who wear turbans.
“Every day FIBA delays is another day that Sikhs can’t play,” Democrat House members Ami Bera and Joe Crowley, formerly chair of the India Caucus, said in a statement on Thursday after the FIBA announcement that its governing board would delay a review of its headgear policy.
“Allowing Sikhs to play while wearing their turban is a no-brainer, and we are disappointed that the FIBA has delayed their review of a policy that can only be described as outdated, discriminatory, and totally inconsistent with the ideals of team sports,” they said urging the board ‘to stop delaying and let Sikhs play.’
The FIBA decision comes ahead of the Saturday start of FIBA Basketball World Cup hosted by Spain amid an outcry over an incident involving two Sikh players who were told by referees that they must remove their turbans if they were to play in FIBA’s Asia Cup. The players, who have always played in turbans, were told that they were in violation of one of FIBA’s official rules, which states,
“Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players.”
