'Basketball bodies decision lifting ban on headgear welcomed'

The World Players Association of basketball on Thursday welcomed the decision of the game's governing body of reversing a controversial ban on religious headgear which would allow professional players to play wearing the turban and the hijab during competition.

The new rule by the international basketball federation (FIBA) allows female players to wear hijabs and male players to wear turbans and yarmulkes.

The move would allow the Sikhs to play international basketball matches with their headgears intact.

"Removing the ban would make the sport bigger and more popular," said Brendan Schwab, the executive director of the World Players Association after Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) took a decision in this regard at its meeting in Switzerland on Thursday.

"FIBA's decision illustrates an important point: that in the debate between the specific needs of sport and human rights, human rights must always prevail," Schwab said.

The World Players Association believes the long-standing imposition of the ban highlights the need for international sporting bodies such as FIBA to reform their governance and practices in relation to human rights, a media statement said.

FIBA had previously banned headgear on safety grounds, but began a review of its policy, and granted exemptions, from September 2014.

At its congress in Hong Kong, FIBA agreed a new rule to come into force in October this year that will allow players to wear ratified headgear, that minimises the risk of injury and is the same colour as a team's kit.

Qatar's women's basketball team withdrew from the 2014 Asian Games after being forbidden from wearing the hijabs.