Qatar Women’s Basketball Team Forfeits Asian Games Following Hijab Ruling

The Qatar women's basketball team is considering pulling itself from competition at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, after its players were denied permission to wear a hijab during its game against Mongolia on Wednesday.

The Qatari players showed up to the game wearing their headgear, and match officials instructed them to remove it or forfeit.

"The rule that the players broke is International Basketball Federation rule 4.4.2, which talks about uniforms and what players can wear," an Asian Games spokesperson told The Guardian. "The technical official asked them to remove the scarf and they refused, so the game was forfeited by Qatar."

According to the players, there was never any question. It was either, let them wear the Islamic head coverings, or they would walk away from the competition.

"We have to take this stand," a Qatar sports official and activist, Ahlam Salem M al-Mana told the Associated Press. "We are here to push the international association that all Muslim teams are ready to compete in any competition."

The team's chef-de-mission, Khalil al-Jabir, says he was caught off guard by the officials' ruling. 

"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."

As the AP points out, athletes in other sports - such as badminton, shooting and track and field - are allowed to wear a hijab while competing. The rules, however are different for every sport, as they are set out by individual governing bodies.

"The organizing committee is not involved in the rules, and the match officials did not have any directions from world body FIBA regarding the same," said Asian Games Organizing Committee spokeswoman Anna Jihyun You.

Under the current circumstances, al-Jabir says his team is "not likely to play" the rest of its schedule games.