{"id":6229,"date":"2014-07-24T11:28:42","date_gmt":"2014-07-24T05:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.barusahib.org\/?p=6229"},"modified":"2025-03-07T11:34:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T06:04:36","slug":"racial-discrimination-indian-basketball-sikh-players-forced-to-remove-turbans-yet-secure-historic-win-over-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/racial-discrimination-indian-basketball-sikh-players-forced-to-remove-turbans-yet-secure-historic-win-over-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Racial Discrimination  Indian Basketball Sikh Players Forced to Remove Turbans Yet Secure Historic Win Over China"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/racial-discrimination-indian-basketball-sikh-players-forced-to-remove-turbans-yet-secure-historic-win-over-china\/#Sikh_Players_Face_Discrimination_Despite_Historic_Win_Over_China\" >Sikh Players Face Discrimination Despite Historic Win Over China<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/racial-discrimination-indian-basketball-sikh-players-forced-to-remove-turbans-yet-secure-historic-win-over-china\/#Forced_to_Remove_Turbans_Before_the_Game\" >Forced to Remove Turbans Before the Game<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/racial-discrimination-indian-basketball-sikh-players-forced-to-remove-turbans-yet-secure-historic-win-over-china\/#A_First_in_International_Play\" >A First in International Play<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/racial-discrimination-indian-basketball-sikh-players-forced-to-remove-turbans-yet-secure-historic-win-over-china\/#A_Rule_That_Threatens_Sikh_Representation_in_Basketball\" >A Rule That Threatens Sikh Representation in Basketball<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/racial-discrimination-indian-basketball-sikh-players-forced-to-remove-turbans-yet-secure-historic-win-over-china\/#Outrage_Over_FIBAs_Discriminatory_Rule\" >Outrage Over FIBA\u2019s Discriminatory Rule<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sikh_Players_Face_Discrimination_Despite_Historic_Win_Over_China\"><\/span>Sikh Players Face Discrimination Despite Historic Win Over China<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Indian basketball team made history at the 5th FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, securing a memorable victory over the host nation. They also challenged World Cup qualifiers Iran, Jordan, and the Philippines. However, their triumph was overshadowed by an act of racial discrimination against Sikh players.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Forced_to_Remove_Turbans_Before_the_Game\"><\/span>Forced to Remove Turbans Before the Game<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Two Sikh players, Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singh, were subjected to humiliation when officials barred them from entering the court unless they removed their turbans. Just moments before India&#8217;s opening match against Japan on July 12, tournament organizers cited Article 4.4.2 of FIBA\u2019s rules, which restricts headgear, hair accessories, and jewelry.<\/p>\n<p>Despite coach Scott Flemming\u2019s efforts to reason with officials, the players were only allowed to play after removing their turbans. Yet, even after this humiliation, Amritpal Singh delivered a game-high 15 points.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_First_in_International_Play\"><\/span>A First in International Play<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The decision stunned the players, as they had previously competed in international tournaments\u2014including the Asian Championship in Manila and the Lusofonia Games in Goa\u2014without any objections to their turbans. \u201cI have always played in a turban, even during practice sessions. It felt strange to play without it,\u201d said Amritpal.<\/p>\n<p>For 22-year-old Amjyot, playing without a turban was a first. \u201cMy turban is a part of me. When they told us we couldn\u2019t wear it, I felt uncomfortable. But for the team, we decided to continue playing,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Rule_That_Threatens_Sikh_Representation_in_Basketball\"><\/span>A Rule That Threatens Sikh Representation in Basketball<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Throughout the tournament, both players were denied permission to wear their turbans, forcing them to tie their hair with bands. If this rule remains in place, future Sikh basketball players may be discouraged from competing internationally. Amjyot\u2019s parents have already advised him to play only in India, where such issues do not arise.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Outrage_Over_FIBAs_Discriminatory_Rule\"><\/span>Outrage Over FIBA\u2019s Discriminatory Rule<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Coach Flemming condemned the rule, stating, \u201cI personally oppose any regulation that infringes on religious beliefs. A headgear does not harm anyone.\u201d He recalled spending hours convincing officials before the match, only to be told at the last moment that the players must comply with the rule.<\/p>\n<p>Even the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) was unaware of the incident until two weeks later. BFI President RS Gill, himself a Sikh, was shocked and promised to take immediate action. \u201cThis is a serious issue. I will file a strong protest with FIBA Asia and World, and also escalate it to the Ministry of Sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gill cited an example from Canada, where a Sikh player challenged a similar rule in court, leading to an amendment that now allows Sikhs to play with their turbans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Support the Movement: #LetSikhsPlay<\/strong><br \/>\nSports unite people\u2014turbans do not pose a danger! FIBA must end racial discrimination against Sikh players.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udce2 Take action now! Tweet to @FIBA using #LetSikhsPlay<br \/>\n\ud83d\udccc Sign the petition to bring change: Click Here<\/p>\n<p>~ By Amit Sampat, TNN<br \/>\n~ Source: Times of India<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sikh Players Face Discrimination Despite Historic Win Over China The Indian basketball team made history at the 5th FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, securing a memorable victory over the host nation. They also challenged World Cup qualifiers Iran, Jordan, and the Philippines. However, their triumph was overshadowed by an act of racial discrimination against [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/RACIAL-DISCRIMINATION.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-6229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6229"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6230,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6229\/revisions\/6230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6229"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=6229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}