Basketball : FIBA allows Muslim players to wear the veil

Gathered in Hong Kong, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has announced that veiled Muslim female players will be allowed to play with their hijabs on after being banned from it for three years. The ban was decided after a review conducted in 2014. «The headquarters approved the proposal submitted by the Technical Commission which authorizes the wearing of the veil by the players», said FIBA in a statement relayed by Radio Canada.

Muslim players will be able to keep their scarves after the cancellation of article 4.2.2 that used to ban the wearing of «any piece of equipments that could harm players». For the past two years, a campaign against the veil ban managed to raise a petition that was signed by 130,000 people.

For the record, in 2014, the Qatar female basketball team left the 17th Asian Games to protest against the veil ban restriction.