Ireland’s basketball team  breached multiple rules when they refused to shake hands with their Israeli opponents, or stand during the Israeli National Anthem.

UKLFI has written to Andreas Zagklis, Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), pointing out the many regulations that were breached by Ireland, and calling for the team to be disciplined.

On 8 February 2024 the Israeli Women’s Basketball Team competed against the Irish Team at Riga in Latvia, the match having been moved to a neutral venue because Basketball Ireland said that it could not guarantee the Israeli team’s safety in Dublin.

Prior to the match, on 25 January 2024, Basketball Ireland released a statement saying that it was being forced to play the match because Israel had not been excluded from international competition and that Ireland faced a large fine and exclusion from competition if it did not compete.

UKLFI’s letter pointed out that it was clear from the tone of the statement that Ireland was entering the competition with hostility to Israel and hostility to the idea of competing against it.

At the match itself Ireland team members refused to shake hands with the Israeli athletes and disrespected Israel and its people by remaining behind their bench during  the playing of the Israel national anthem, Hatikvah.

This pre-planned action was a breach of FIBA’s General Statutes, Internal Regulations, Code of Ethics and Integrity, and also a breach of FIBA’s obligations under the IOC Code.

For example, the FIBA Basketball General Statute 1.3 says that FIBA maintains absolute political and religious neutrality and does not tolerate any form of discrimination.

UKLFI’s letter to FIBA stated that “ If Ireland is not sanctioned, FIBA will be endorsing this breach of political and religious neutrality. It will be complicit in discrimination against the individual members of the Israeli team, the support staff, and the team itself as representative of the State of Israel in sporting competition.”

According to Article 9.2 , national member federations are supposed to “promote amicable and courteous relations with other national member federations and their members, officials and players.”

UKLFI’s letter said: “The actions of the entire Irish team and support staff was a passive-aggressive display of hostility towards Israel itself, the Israeli team and individual team members.”

Chapter 5 of the FIBA code of conduct sets out “the golden rules” of basketball, which include  respecting opponents  and embracing  equality. However, the “right to be respected” was trampled on by the Irish team at this competition. They overtly signalled their disrespect for their opponents, for the Israel team as a whole, and for the people and nation of Israel, by refusing to shake their opponents’ hands and staging a protest during the playing of Israel’s national anthem.

UKLFI has requested that the FIBA take the appropriate action to sanction the Irish Federation since the rules have clearly been breached.