JOIN USThe Basketball Federation of India on Thursday condemned FIBA Asia for forcing Sikh player Anmol Singh to remove his ‘Patka’ during an Under-18 Championship match in Doha, saying that the “unwarranted action” was discriminatory and humiliating.
“The Basketball Federation of India strongly condemns the unwarranted action of Technical Commission of FIBA Asia taken against Anmol Singh and asks them to stop discrimination against Sikh athletes,” the BFI said in a statement.
BFI said the India team’s manager in Doha, Shafique Ahmed Shaikh, has been contacted and he had taken up the matter before the start of the tournament.
“He was informed by the Director Technical Commission, FIBA Asia, that this issue will be taken up during FIBA Central Board meeting after this Championship at Seville, Spain, on Aug 28 and 29. Till then the Technical Commission, FIBA Asia is bound to follow the rules,” the BFI said.
“The FIBA Commissioner, who was assigned to supervise the match, initially had no objection and allowed Anmol Singh to play in the first quarter of the game with his patk. But when Anmol re-entered the court in the second quarter, he was told to remove his patka, which caused humiliation to the player and affected the performance of the team.”