US lawmakers hail FIBA move towards ending turban restrictions

Two top American lawmakers have welcomed the International Basketball Federation's move towards ending its "discriminatory" policy that prevented Sikh players from participating in international matches while wearing turbans.
"We're thrilled that the board has endorsed a change that, if adopted, will let Sikhs and other athletes who wear articles of faith play," Joe Crowley and Ami Bera said in a joint statement.
Crowley, who is Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, and Ami Bera, who is Co-Chair of the House Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, issued the statement after FIBA's central board announced it supports a change in policy that requires Sikhs and other players to remove their articles of faith, such as turbans, in international competition.

The board's recommendation will be considered when the its mid-term Congress meets in May.
Following a meeting of FIBA's Central Board on 27 and 28 January in Switzerland, the body had said: "After initiating a revision process of the headgear rule (Article 4.4.2) of the Official Basketball Rules in September 2014, the Board received a report on the impact of the exceptions applied on a domestic level during a two-year period.
"It (the board) favoured a modification of the rule and issued a mandate for the Technical Commission to come forward with a proposal that would allow headgear to be worn safely by athletes. This will be presented to the Mid-Term Congress in May," FIBA said.

The two leaders said they will be closely monitoring the situation going forward to ensure the entire FIBA Congress adopts the change by May this year.

"While it should have never taken this long for the board to endorse this change, we're glad that FIBA is moving ahead. There is no evidence that turbans or religious headgear pose a threat to players, and FIBA's policy has not only been outdated, but discriminatory," they said.
In August last year, Crowley and Bera led over 40
Congressmen in sending a letter to the Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) or International Basketball Federation, reiterating their strong support for a change in policy that requires Sikhs and other players to remove their articles of faith, such as turbans, in international competition.

Two years ago, in response to an earlier letter led by Crowley and Bera, and strong public pressure, FIBA announced that it would review the issue and begin a testing phase that would allow players to wear head coverings starting in summer 2015, with an ultimate eye toward a final decision after the 2016 Olympics.
The policy came to light during the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in China when two Sikh players were told by referees that they must remove their turbans if they were to play.
The players, who had 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."

However, there is no evidence that a Sikh turban poses a threat to cause injury, and other sports leagues, such as Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), allow athletes wearing turbans to participate, the media release said.
Following the Asia Cup incident, Crowley and Bera led multiple letters signed by dozens of Members of Congress urging FIBA board to end its discriminatory policy against players who wear turbans.