In the wake of the disqualification of Iraq’s women’s soccer team by international sports officials because of the team’s insistence on a uniform that meets religious requirements (see prior posting), two more challenges to international sports uniform rules have been mounted. The Atlanta Journal Constitution and CNN reported yesterday that the U.S. Olympic Committee has asked the International Weightlifting Federation to review its rules after a 35-year old Muslim woman, an Atlanta resident, was disqualified from competing in a national competition in Ohio last December. IWF rules require that athletes wear costumes that are collarless and do not cover the elbows or knees. Weight-lifter Kulsoom Abdullah usually wears loose long pants that extend below her ankles, a long-sleeve fitted shirt with a loose T-shirt over it, and a hijab covering her hair. Modifications create several problems. Judges need to see that the weight lifter's elbows and knees are locked during the lift. They also need to make certain that the individual is not wearing anything on her elbows that would give her a competitive advantage. The IWF technical committee will review the relevant rules on June 26 at a scheduled meeting in Malaysia. It will present a recommendation to the IWF executive board the next day.
Meanwhile, in Israel, an Orthodox Jewish player on the country’s women's national basketball team has been disqualified. FIBA Europe, the governing body for European basketball, says that its rules require that all members of a team be dressed alike. Naama Shafir wears a T-shirt under her jersey in order to comply with Jewish religious rules relating to modesty. AP and JTA this week report that FIBA has refused to make an exception for Shafir so she can play in a tournament that opens June 18 in Poland. According to Haaretz, an Israeli appeal of the ruling was rejected on technical grounds. Shafir just completed her college studies in the United States, where she led the University of Toledo (Ohio) team to a Women's NIT championship. (Background.) Officials had no problem with permitting Shafir to wear the modified uniform when playing in the U.S. [Thanks to Joel Katz (Relig. & State In Israel) for the lead.]
