Basketball Without Barriers – FIBA to finally allow headgear like turban and hijab in the international game

This article was first published in my blog for The Times of India on May 4, 2017. Click here for the original piece.

Three years ago, India’s national basketball team had one of its greatest moments in history. On July 13, 2014, at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, India – ranked 53rd in the world – did the unthinkable: they defeated China – Asia’s top-ranked squad – for the first time in over seven decades of international basketball. I was in the stands at the Wuhan Sports Centre Gymnasium, one eye on my computer screen live-blogging this historic game, the other eye staring at the court in disbelief. Soon, the moment went viral and arguably became Indian basketball’s biggest cause for celebration.

But this isn’t a story about that day. This is a story of July 12, just 24-hours prior to making history, when the same Indian team created news in a completely different way, sparked an infamous controversy for the Switzerland-based International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and propelled a crusade that took over three years to resolve.

On July 12, 2014, India’s coach Scott Flemming prepared his team for the first game of the tournament against Japan. Minutes before tip-off however, I noticed that two of India’s most important players – the giant Punjabi duo of Amjyot Singh Gill and Amritpal Singh – were missing from the starting line-up. It turned out that FIBA officials at the game had summoned a controversial policy – the “No Headgear” rule – and withheld the two turbaned Sikh players from entering the game. On the sidelines of a major international basketball contest, Amjyot and Amritpal had to take off their turbans, open their hair, and tie it back together with headbands and rubber-bands. It was awkward moment, Amjyot told me after the game, but for the sake of the team, the two players pleaded to return and play. The team never recovered from the funk and lost by 23 points.

Like most Sikh players, Amjyot and Amritpal had become accustomed to growing their hair long, practicing basketball, and playing in international and domestic games with their turbans. But, according to Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules, headgear like turbans, hijab, or yarmulkes were considered injurious and banned. Another Indian Sikh player, Anmol Singh, was forced to remove his turban at the FIBA Junior Asian Championship in Qatar a month later. Around the same time, Qatar’s women’s basketball team pulled out of the Asian Games in South Korea because the ban asked them to play without their hijab.

The response to FIBA’s close-minded policy – which considered harmless religious headgear a hazard to the game – raised concern with activists and policy-makers around the world, including protests by top American lawmakers. Soon, FIBA announced their decision to review this policy, and in early 2017, recommended a change in the rule at their annual board meeting.

Good news finally arrived at FIBA’s Mid-Term Congress in Hong Kong this week: the congress of 139 national federations unanimously ratified the board’s decision for a new rule that will now allow players to wear headgear. The rule was developed with caution to minimise risk of injuries and preserve consistency of colour of the teams’ uniforms. It will come into effect from October 1, 2017, which is soon, but not soon enough: the big FIBA Asia tournaments for Women and Men this year will be held in July and August.

This is a smart, progressive step by FIBA. Basketball is not a game that belongs to a single culture anymore. There are star players and new avenues to the game all around the world, and changing this institution will help basketball grow in more communities.

However, there is a poignant afterthought to this story. Let’s return back to Amjyot and Amritpal, back to July 2014, and that championship in Wuhan that thrust India into international news for the wrong and the right reasons. A day after adjusting their hair, the two players ended up being the main difference-makers in India’s win over China. Amjyot led all scorers in the game with 13 while Amritpal played suffocating post defence on China’s top players, including future NBA-draftee Zhou Qi.

But even the thrill of victory couldn’t wipe away the sour taste of this experience. To avoid becoming a distraction for the national team again, both Amjyot and Amritpal cut their hair short a few months later. The two bigs have since continued on their path to success, playing professionally in Japan, participating in an Australian league draft combine, and teaming up to defeat China again last year.

Amjyot and Amritpal will be in the forefront of the queue of a long line of talented Sikh basketball players in India, most of whom have been the product of the same basketball academy in Ludhiana, Punjab. As India prepares for the FIBA Asia Cup this year, names like NBA draftee Satnam Singh, NBA D-League draftee Palpreet Singh, and veteran forward Yadwinder Singh will all be vying for roster spots.

Several other international sports, like football and volleyball were ahead of the curve in allowing acceptable headgear; it took an uphill battle, but basketball – finally – seems to have caught up. In the past, all of the Indian Sikh players mentioned above chose to avoid controversy and cut their hair off for basketball participation. In other parts of the world, women players in hijab and Jewish players have faced similar forks in the road between career and religious practice. Looking forward, talented athletes around the world will hopefully not have to make that decision again.

The "All Turban" basketball game & hundreds of peaceful protests against FIBA's "No Headgear" rule

Remember when the International Basketball Association - FIBA - freaked out and barred a couple of Sikh Indian basketball players from playing with their turbans on at the FIBA Asia Cup in July? Remember when that happened again a month later at the U18 FIBA Asia Championship in Qatar and India's Anmol Singh had to remove his turban before playing in international basketball games? Remember how they unnecessarily delayed their decision on the turban/headgear bans? While the rest of the world seems to be fine with recognizing the traditional Sikh headgear as a part of the community's culture, FIBA is somehow still stuck considering the harmless - yet important - piece of cloth a 'threat'.

Photo via BaruSahib.org

In that case, FIBA officials would've found plenty to feel 'threatened' about in Sirmore a couple of days ago.

In an awesome display of the power of the peaceful protest against FIBA, the Kalgidhar Society on Wednesday, September 10 hosted an "All Turban" basketball game at their Akal Academy in Sirmore (Himachal Pradesh). Special guest at the game was Anmol Singh - India's under-18 player who was forced by FIBA officials to remove his headgear before getting to play at the U18 FIBA Asia Championship in Doha last month. Students from the academy - all in patkas (turbans) - took part in the game and as the audience with Anmol.

This might be shocking to some FIBA officials, but no players were hurt and no harm was caused despite all the turbans involved.

Photo via BaruSahib.org

The game at Sirmore was the final event in the first phase of Kalgidhar Society's massive pan-North India protest against FIBA: similar protest matches have already been held over the last few days at the society’s 128 other Akal Academies spread across the hinterland of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from approaching FIBA and basketball officials in India, Kalgidhar Society has also filed an online petition against FIBA through Change.org on July 26. The petition #LetSikhsPlay has been supported by around 68,000 persons from across the globe so far. Sports legends like Milkha Singh, Bishen Singh Bedi and eminent personalities from music and culture like Daler Mehndi, Yo Yo Honey Singh etc. too have backed the campaign.

Commenting on controversy, Anmol Singh said, “I was shocked by the discriminatory behaviour of FIBA’s officials at Doha. It is a pity that FIBA continues to be adamant despite the global protest. US Congressmen have also pointed out that no such discrimination happens in American football. How can a turban hurt anybody?”

Photo via BaruSahib.org

Kalgidhar Society’s head Baba Iqbal Singh, 89, who was agriculture director of Himachal Pradesh government previously, said, “Rules are meant to conduct games harmoniously not to divide people. If we see the divine in every being, there will be peace and brotherhood which are desperately needed in the modern world. We should be empathetic to the sensitivities and feelings of all. This can put an end to all quarrels, controversies and wars.”

During FIBA's Central Board meeting at Seville on the eve of the Basketball World Cup (August 27), the committee decided to shelf any decision on its controversial 'Headgear' ruling - Article 4.4.2 of FIBA's official basketball rules - that has denied people of Sikh, Muslim, or Jewish cultures from wearing their traditional headgear (like turban, hijab, or yarmulkes). The official FIBA statement read: "On the subject of a review of the basketball rules regarding headgear, because of the importance of the matter, the Central Board decided that it requires further analysis before a final decision is made."

FIBA also elected a new chairman and several new board members at the World Cup. This new board is set to have their first official meeting tomorrow (September 13): they need to treat this matter with the decency and urgency that it deserves.

Hopefully some of these voices and images of protest reach FIBA so they can realize that playing with turbans or hijab is quite normal indeed with no hint of a 'threat'. The only threat they need to erase is from their own prejudiced thought process.

FIBA delays decision on Headgear Ban; Sikh community reacts

FIBA - the international basketball federation - is currently enjoying it's flagship event, the 2014 Basketball World Cup, in Spain. With this being basketball's biggest international event featuring 24 of the top teams in the world, it has been a chance for FIBA to show the world that basketball is truly a global sport and has the potential to bring people together.

Alas, FIBA seems to be turning this potential push forward into - in simple basketball terms - a turnover.

During FIBA's Central Board meeting at Seville on the eve of the World Cup, the committee decided to shelf any decision on its controversial 'Headgear' ruling - Article 4.4.2 of FIBA's official basketball rules - that has denied people of Sikh, Muslim, or Jewish cultures from wearing their traditional headgear (like turban, hijab, or yarmulkes). The protest against this rule has been flaring up for the past year, but became a loud outcry particularly over the past few months when three Indian Sikh players - Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh at the FIBA Asia Cup and Anmol Singh at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship - were forced to remove their turbans before participating in international games.

After pressure from the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), US lawmakers, and Sikh activists - including the #LetSikhsPlay social media campaign - FIBA had decided to review this issue at the Central Board meeting in Spain at the end of August. Unfortunately, the meeting came and went with no further result.

From FIBA.com's report of their Central Board Meeting on August 27:

On the subject of a review of the basketball rules regarding headgear, because of the importance of the matter, the Central Board decided that it requires further analysis before a final decision is made. Both the Technical and Legal Commissions shall study and present options to the Central Board.
A new Central Board will be elected during the World Congress taking place on Thursday-Friday 28-29 August and will meet for the first time on Saturday 13 September in Madrid.

Roopam Sharma, the CEO of the BFI, had promised to raise this topic among FIBA officials at the World Cup. She spoke to The Times of India recently, saying "I have been waiting for my opportunity to raise this issue in the World Congress. I will make them understand that patka is a part of Sikh culture and tradition. It is not an accessory, and it is in no way injurious to players. It is just a piece of cloth that Sikhs wear on their heads. I hope we would be able to resolve the issue and bring it to its logical conclusion."

In response to this delay, Sona Simran Kaur, the Communications Director of Sikh American Legal Defense and Education
Fund (SALDEF) said, "It is a shame that FIBA has decided to let bureaucracy stand in the way of progress and religious freedom.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup starts on Saturday, August 30. While FIBA presents itself as a representative of global sport, Sikh and Muslim players will still be forced to choose between playing the game they love and following their religious beliefs."

Simran Jeet Singh, the Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition who initiated the #LetSikhsPlay campaign added, "As the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, 'Justice delayed is justice denied.' This is an issue of basic morality and ethics, and we hope that FIBA will do the right thing by allowing religious minorities to play basketball freely. Basketball is a beautiful sport that's growing rapidly around the world. It's time for FIBA to embrace the diverse communities it represents and to modernize its outdated and discriminatory rules. Other major sports organizations, such as FIFA and the NCAA, allow Sikhs to play with their turbans, and there is no logical reason to keep them off the basketball court for international competitions."

Members of Kalgidhar Society staged a protest demonstration against FIBA during their conference in Seville.

Meanwhile, the online support for turban-clan basketball players has gained further support. Several Sikh/Indian celebrities, such as pop stars Yo Yo Honey Singh and Daler Mehndi have promoted a change.org petition against the discrimination by FIBA. So far, the petition has gained over 59,000 signatures.

FIBA have had a changeover in its top brass at the World Congress, too. Argentina's Horacio Muratore was elected as the new FIBA President for the 2014-2019 term of office, replacing Yvan Mainini. Delegates from the 116 national federations in attendance at the FIBA World Congress on Thursday elected 13 of the potential 29 members that will make up the Central Board for the upcoming term.

This new board will meet on September 13 again, near the end of the World Cup, for the first time. Hopefully, the new head honchos treat this issue with the seriousness and urgency it deserves. Until the rule has changed, many of India's players who wear religious/traditional headgear, will have to continue playing without it for future international basketball games.

China win third successive FIBA Asia U18 Championship in Doha; Disappointing India finish last

While at the senior level, Iran had replaced China as Asia's most dominant side in recent years, the Chinese showed another glimpse of why their future stars might be ready to reclaim their nation's hoops honour. For the third consecutive time, China won the FIBA Asia U18 Championship, hoisting the title in the tournament's 23rd iteration in Doha (Qatar) after a convincing victory over Iran in the final. China played fantastic basketball through the course of the 10-day tournament and made this their 11th victory overall in Asia's most prestigious junior basketball tournament.

China, who suffered a close call in winning the gold in Ulaanbaatar in an overtime game against Korea two years ago, had no such troubles this time around. They dominated the final early, breaking out to a 16-0 scoring run in the first quarter and holding on to a huge 36-19 lead by halftime. China kept their command on the game in the second half and had turned the game into a blowout before the beginning of the final quarter. China's most-accomplished young player Zhou Qi only made an appearance in the second quarter, by when his team had already grasped on to complete control of the game. Zhou still ended up with a game-high 16 points to lead his side to victory.

2012's silver-medalists Korea had to settle for Bronze as they bounced from an early deficit to beat Chinese Taipei 70-58 on Thursday. Korea's Kyongwon Kim was unstoppable, beasting his way to 26 points and 17 rebounds to lead his side to victory.

Earlier on the semi-finals, China exorcised the ghosts of recent senior-team defeats to Chinese Taipei by easily handling their neighbours 92-50. Chinese Taipei had no answer for China's duo of Rui Zhao (19) and Yuchen Zou (16), while Zhou Qi contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds off the bench. Only Yung-Cheng Sun (16) cracked double figures in scoring for Taipei. Iran were led by Navid Rezaeifar (18) and Mohammad Yousuf Vand (17) as they bounced back from a double-digit deficit at halftime to completely dominating the third quarter against Korea en route to a 78-60 semi-final win. Hyunwoo Jeon led with 16 points for the Koreans in the loss.

While the Chinese celebrated in Qatar, India's under-18 dream of continuing the same Cinderella success of their seniors was shot down early in the competition. After stuttering in qualifiers against Sri Lanka, India were placed in Group A of the tournament with China, hosts Qatar, and Malaysia. Despite the presence of the tournament's favourites China, there were hopes that good performances against the other two teams in the group could help see India go further than the past in the tournament.

Alas, India's performances dipped even further from their 10th place finish at the same tournament two years ago. India started off their campaign against the hosts Qatar. But despite a neck-to-neck first quarter, India were completely dominated in the second, being outscored 30-6 by their opponents. Down by 25 points at halftime, India pressed hard in the second half to make a comeback, but the damage had already been done. Qatar's Abdulrahman Mohammad Saad was unstoppable, tallying a breathtaking statline of 40 points, eight assists, and six rebounds against India. Abdelrahman Rehia Abdelhaleem added 26 and 10 rebounds as the duo paced the hosts to a 86-73 victory. Mahipal Singh had 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists for India in a losing cause.

India got their first and only win of the tournament against Malaysia early the next day. Although India started slow and turned the ball over several times, they bounced back from a small deficit in the first quarter to take control of the rest of the game. The duo of Gurvinder Singh Gill (24 points and 17 rebounds) and Mahipal Singh (22 points and seven rebounds) paced India to a 73-64 win. Yi Hou Wong scored 17 for Malaysia off the bench.

A month ago, China's Zhou Qi was part of the team which were surprisingly beaten in a historic win for India's senior squad at the FIBA Asia Cup. This time, Zhou Qi and the junior side were not messing around and went out to seek redemption. China dominated India on all fronts from the opening tip to the final buzzer, blowing out the Indians for a sixty-point victory. The final scoreline read 100-40 in China's favour, a lop-sided result that would come to haunt the Indians a few hours later. Zhou Qi paced the way with 21 points and seven rebounds for his side while Yuchen Zou added 19 and nine.

Right after India's loss to China, Malaysia played inspired basketball against the hosts Qatar to defeat them 78-70, and thus won their first-ever contest in the U18 FIBA ABC. This victory left India, Malaysia, and Qatar all tied in points behind China in Group A, with only two of teams able to progress and join the Chinese in the tournament's second round. Unfortunately, due to their worse point differential, India were the odd ones out. Despite their victory over Malaysia, India would finish fourth in their group and their tournament ended in sudden, heartbreaking fashion.

Because they didn't qualify for the Second Round, India played no further games and were adjudged to finish 13th in the tournament, tied with Iraq for last place (there was no 13/14th place playoff).

India also suffered some distraction when FIBA's 'No Headgear' policy sprung controversy again. India's Anmol Singh was made to remove his turban during warm-up of India's first game against Qatar. In their second game against Malaysia, Anmol was allowed to play with his turban for the first 10 minutes, before FIBA officials asked him to remove his turban again. The latest incident occurred a little over a month after FIBA forced two of India's senior team Sikh players - Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh - to remove their turbans during the FIBA Asia Cup. Back at home, the outraged Basketball Federation of India (BFI) once again complained to FIBA for this discriminatory policy and urged them to change the rules.

The tournament was a disappointing finish for a team which had the chance to prove that India's future could continue the optimism that basketball in the country had recently felt all around. While this team definitely had some talent, they showed a lack of maturity and experience, especially when they found it difficult to counter long periods of pressure and scoring runs by their opponents. There is no easy solution for this except the same thing that coaches and media in India have harped on for years: all our teams need more quality games to give them more experience of high-level play so they are better prepared for all international basketball situations in the future.

Captain Gurvinder Singh Gill (aka "Gary") finished as the team's leading scorer with 17 points per game and is a sure-shot to eventually graduate to the senior side in a few years. Another rising young talent - Narender - led the entire tournament fray in assists with 6.3 assists per game. He also finished top five in three-point percentage. Gill was a top five score in the championship. Of course, all of these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt since India only played three games.

Apart from the win over Malaysia, there won't be any other positive memories for Coach Jora Singh and his side to bring back from Doha. But just like we hope to use positive results as a pedestal to propel ourselves higher, let's hope that this negative result can be used as motivation for all the players involved to bounce back stronger in the future.

2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championship - Final Standings

• 1. China
  
• 2. Iran
  
• 3. Korea
  
• 4. Chinese Taipei
  
• 5. Philippines
  

Return of the FIBA/Headgear controversy: India's Anmol Singh forced to remove turban at U18 FIBA ABC

The 'No Headgear' policy of FIBA (the International Basketball Federation) has sparked another controversy involving a Sikh basketball player for Team India. This time, the ruling effected Anmol Singh, the only turban-wearing player of India's junior squad that is currently participating in the FIBA Asia U18 Championship in Doha (Qatar).

The Times of India reported yesterday that under-18 rising star Anmol was made to remove his turban during warm-up of India's first game in Doha against Qatar. In their second game against Malaysia, Anmol was allowed to play with his turban for the first 10 minutes, before FIBA officials asked him to remove his turban again.

In a chat with TOI from Doha, national U-18 coach Jora Singh said, "Anmol was not allowed to play with a turban during our opening game against Qatar when the team was warming up. Today, he was allowed to play with the patka in the first quarter, but later on was told to remove it. Anmol then tied his hair with a small band and continued to play."

(via Times of India)

The latest incident occured a little over a month after FIBA forced two of India's senior team Sikh players - Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh - to remove their turbans in accordance with their 'No Headgear' rule in Wuhan (China) during the FIBA Asia Cup, a controversy that sparked the #LetSikhsPlay movement and since forced FIBA to review their ruling.

Currently, Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules states, "Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players," a list that includes headgear like turbans, hijab, etc.

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) submitted a formal request to FIBA regarding the initial incident in Wuhan soon after, FIBA promised to review Article 4.4.2 during the FIBA World Congress, set to be held on 28-29 August in Sevilla (Spain) during the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Unfortunately, until the 214 members of FIBA Central Board meet next week and decide on the future of this rule, FIBA's officials on the ground will be compelled to continue following the set rules.

But the BFI claim that there had been a misunderstanding regarding Anmol Singh at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship, which ultimately led Anmol removing his turban - or patka - particularly in Game 2 against Malaysia. "The FIBA Commissioner who was assigned to supervise the match initially had no objection and allowed Anmol Singh to play in the first quarter of the game with his patka, which is a religious right of the Sikh community," said the official BFI statement, "The basketball rule says that player shall not wear equipment or object that may cause injury to other players while playing. The patka is made of thin cloth which does not cause injury to anybody, as Sikh athletes are wearing in other team games. We are surprised that why this discrimination by FIBA Asia is being repeatedly imposed on Indian Sikh athletes representing the country at international level."

The Hindu has reported that India's Union Sports Ministry has also sought intervention from the International Olympic Commission (IOC) to resolve the issue.

The BFI questioned the discrimination in basketball when other team games like volleyball, football, hockey, handball and cricket had no restriction on Sikh players wearing the patka.

The BFI's CEO Roopam Sharma has been nominated to attend the FIBA Congress in Spain to resolve the issue once and for all and "avoid such humiliation in future".

6-foot-10 Anmol, who plays backup Power Forward/Center for India, scored 10 points in India first game loss to Qatar. The next day, he played 16 minutes against Malaysia and shot just 1/4 for two points in the game. Nevertheless, Team India overlooked the distraction to bounce back and defeat Malaysia 73-64 in the contest.

Unfortunately, a day later, India were whooped thoroughly by China by 60 points and Malaysia scored a surprise victory over Qatar. With India, Qatar, and Malaysia all tied for second place in Group A, it was India that were knocked out because of their inferior point differential.

On court, India's juniors will be disappointed by this early exit: Qatar were a beatable side and the margin of defeat to China shouldn't have been allowed to run that wide. Hopefully the young players can recover from the setback and bounce back stronger.

Off the court, hopefully FIBA can bring an end to this whole senseless controversy next week. We need common-sense prevails over rudimentary thinking, so we can get back to basketball instead of worrying about whether a little bit of cloth covering someone's head could ever be a "threat". Especially if that bit of cloth has such a deep-lying significance to the culture and religion of the targeted individuals.