New Rule Lets Pro Basketball Players Wear Yarmulkes, Hijabs
Omri Casspi of the Israeli national basketball team dunks during a game in FIBA’s 2015 EuroBasket tournament. Image by Getty
(JTA) — Basketball’s international governing body will allow players to wear yarmulkes, hijabs and other religious headgear beginning October 1.
The new rule, announced in a May 4 statement by the International Basketball Association, or FIBA, will have the largest impact on women from majority-Muslim countries who sought to wear the hijab in international competition.
Qatar’s women’s team withdrew from the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea after being denied permission to wear the hijab on court, Reuters noted.
“The new rule comes as a result of the fact that traditional dress codes in some countries, which called for the head and/or entire body being covered, were incompatible with FIBA’s previous headgear rule,” according to the statement.
The decision overturns a 20-year ban on religious head coverings that was originally imposed for what the Swiss-based FIBA called safety reasons.
