The Qatar women’s basketball team forfeited a game at the Asian Games on Wednesday after being refused permission to wear the hijab, saying they were taking a stand against what they say is a discriminatory policy against Muslim women.
The Qatari players were asked, in accordance with International Basketball Federation’s rules, to remove their headscarves in order to play against Mongolia.
However, the players refused, saying it violated their religious beliefs and they wanted to send a strong message to the sport’s governing federation that the ban was unfair.
“We have to take this stand,” said Ahlam Salem M al Mana of Qatar.
“We are here to push the international association that all Muslim teams are ready to compete in any competition. We knew about the hijab ban, but we have to be here. We have to show everyone that we are ready to play, but the International Association is not ready,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Incheon Asian Games (IAGOC) told Reuters that organisers had no alternative other than to declare a forfeit because, “the rule that the players broke is International Basketball Federation rule 4.4.2, which talks about uniforms and what players can wear.”
The technical official asked them to remove the scarf and they refused, so the game was forfeited by Qatar.
The use of hijabs has become a hot topic in sport in recent years with Muslim athletes complaining that they are being discriminated against. Human rights groups and the United Nations joined forces to put pressure on sporting bodies to lift the bans.
Earlier this year, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) unanimously overturned a ban on the garments, allowing soccer players to wear them. They had previously been banned due to safety concerns and because they were not recognised in the laws of the game. But FIFA medical reports showed there were no safety concerns.
Other sports at the Asian Games allow athletes to wear the hijab. All four members of the Iranian lightweight women’s quadruple sculls team wore it as they rowed to a bronze medal on Wednesday.
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