The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has condemned the action of the technical commission of the Asian under-18 basketball championship, in progress in Doha, for asking Anmol Singh to remove his patka during competition.
In a release issued here on Thursday, the BFI stated that its chief executive officer (CEO), Roopam Harish Sharma, had been deputed to attend the FIBA central board meeting to be held in Seville, Spain, on August 28 and 29.
Even though Anmol was allowed to compete with his patka in the first quarter against Malaysia, a match which India eventually won 73-64, the player was asked to remove his patka in the second quarter.
The BFI clarified that the manager of the Indian team, Shafique Ahmed Shaikh, had taken up the issue with the organisers during the meeting prior to the competition on August 18, and that he was told by the technical commission director that the rules would continue to be followed, till the matter was taken up by the FIBA central board meeting in Spain.
The patka issue had first cropped up during the fifth FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, last month.
Thereafter, the BFI deputed its senior vice-president, K. Govindraj, to attend the FIBA Asia Congress in Doha on July 24.
When Govindraj raised the issue, he was told that the FIBA central board would consider the matter.
IOC intervention sought The Union Sports Ministry had also sought the intervention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to resolve the issue.
The BFI questioned the discrimination in basketball when other team games like volleyball, football, hockey, handball and cricket had no restriction on Sikh players wearing the patka .
