Despite India's recent basketball ineptitude, FIBA rewarded BFI's K. Govindraj with the 2019 Asia President Award

At the eve of 2019 FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup, the International Basketball Federation honoured the best national federations from around the world in a glittering awards ceremony in Beijing, China, at the Sheraton Grand Beijing Dongcheng Hotel. According to FIBA's website, the ceremony was part of FIBA's XXI Congress. It "recognizes the most successful National Federations across a variety of awards."

The usual suspects walked home with the top honours. USA won for top rankings across the board. Other nations were honoured for tangible performances, like top rankings in junior levels, or in 3x3, or for featuring the most active 3x3 players, or for top social media presence, etc.

Last on the list of awards, however, was something that felt a little more subjective. The FIBA Presidents Award 2019, awarded to the leader of a National Federation from each continent. "This award," FIBA wrote, was"to recognize the work, commitment and positive impact on basketball made by each person and their National Federation during the past 5 years and was selected by FIBA President Horacio Muratore."

And for some inexplicable reason, the President Award for Asia went to... India's own K. Govindraj, President of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

From one angle, this is a matter of great pride for Indian basketball. We are fortunate - nay, honoured - to have a basketball president that has apparently had a better impact on the sport in the past five years than any other in the entire Asian continent - of all the other 44 nations. After a tussle in 2015 for leadership of the BFI, Govindraj's faction was recognised by FIBA over their opponents. So, Govindraj's honour was technically granted for less than the five-year stretch.

A stretch that included basketball not even being recognised by India's own government, a stretch that included the worst losing streak in recent history of India's men's basketball team, a stretch that included Indian players being unfairly banned by the federation, of an inexplicable "clerical error" that kept our top players out of important FIBA qualifiers, of embarrassing losses in those same qualifiers, of the federation creating obstacles for Indian players to chase other professional opportunities, of the BFI promising professional leagues and not delivering them, of poor public relations, of a website hardly updated, of social media accounts mostly barren, of the growth of a sport stunted.

The pros: BFI has made Bengaluru - their headquarter city - the de-facto home of most of FIBA Asia's Women's championships since 2017, including the 2017 FIBA Asia Championship for Women, the 2017 FIBA U16 Asia Championship for Women, the 2018 FIBA U18 Asia Championship for Women, and the upcoming 2019 FIBA Asia Championship for Women. This is awesome.

The cons: basically, everything else.

Govindraj's recent award came on the heels of a couple other honours from FIBA since 2017, including being appointed a member of the FIBA Competitions Commission and being elected as a member of the Central Board of FIBA Asia. In an article published earlier today on Ekalavyas, Gopalakrishnan R. succinctly pointed out how Govindraj's rise in ranks in FIBA has coincided with India's men's team's nosedive in performance. The on-court failures have been directly related to all the other chaos and mismanagement ailing the federation in Govindraj's tenure.

But FIBA, for some reason, continue to recognise him for his "work, commitment, and positive impact on basketball" in India, more than anyone else in the entire continent. Is it a case of FIBA judging solely by the surface-level events organisation, ignoring all of the rot beneath? Or (and more likely), is it because of Govindraj's connections and friendships with influential people in FIBA, helping his cause overseas, even though most basketball followers in the country have seen the federation fail the sport again and again over the past few years?

It was in July 2014, a little over five years ago, that India had arguably its greatest modern basketball moment, defeating Asia's finest squad - China - on their home floor in Wuhan at the [formerly-known] FIBA Asia Cup. This victory followed a couple more big international moments before the big dip: the political struggle for the federation at home, the disillusionment of star players with the federation, the bans, the losses. Over the past few years, the best Indian basketball stories - for Men, at least - have come despite the federation, of players rising to international leagues or making it to colleges abroad via other means.

And yet, Govindraj - and Indian basketball - have their honour. It is undeserved. Maybe the best-case scenario now is that, perhaps, it can be used retroactively, to urge FIBA to expect real progress from India, and for Govindraj to actually deliver it. Or at least, I hope so.

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.