Qatari women’s basketball team may quit Asian Games over hijab dispute
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Version 0 of 1. Medal ceremony hosts, pictured above during a break from their duties at the Asian Games in South Korea yesterday, were unlikely to be called upon to hang medals around the necks of the Qatari women’s basketball team after the team forfeited its match against Mongolia. The team are considering withdrawing from the Asian Games competition after being refused permission to wear a hijab. Confusion over the implementation of recently relaxed guidelines outlined by the sport’s international governing body, aimed at making the game more inclusive, could be the cause of the problem in Incheon. “The Qatari players ... refused to take off the hijab,” Asian Games Organising Committee spokeswoman Anna Jihyun said. The Qatari contingent was surprised by the decision, with its chef-de-mission Khalil al-Jabir saying the team “was not likely to play” basketball in the Asian Games if the players are not allowed to wear the hijab. “We were expecting our players to play with the hijab, that’s why we came here,” he said. “Nobody told us that it will not be allowed and we are still waiting for clarifications.” Qatar is scheduled to play Nepal on Thursday, leaving little time for a compromise unless FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, intervenes. |