Latest news with #EuroBasket2029Qualifiers
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
'Sometimes it's bigger than basketball': Calls grow for Govt support over Ireland-Israel fixture
Politicians and former players are calling for the Government to support Basketball Ireland while it considers its next steps after being drawn in the same group as Israel for a women's European campaign. James Weldon's side will be in qualifying Group A in the Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers, along with Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Luxembourg. Advertisement Ireland are due to travel to Israel for an away game on November 18th. In a statement, Basketball Ireland highlighted that on commencement of the competition, it would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel. Meanwhile, failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. Former player, Rebecca O'Keeffe, said the sporting body will need the backing of the government. Advertisement "If there are sanctions, absolutely the Government should be stepping in to help. Basketball is a very underfunded sport in this country, even though it's one of the fastest-growing," she said. The two sides met in a controversial qualifier in the Latvian capital, Riga, in February of 2024, despite public pressure to boycott the game over Israel's bombardment of Gaza. "I appreicate the transparency with Basketball Ireland this time round where they said [they] have been talking to the relevant delegations and sporting bodies and the government can absolutely step in and help," O'Keeffe said. "There is public support for this. They have options. Sometimes it's bigger than basketball, sometimes it's bigger than money." Advertisement Social Democrats sports spokesperson, Sinead Gibney, said other sports need to examine whether they compete in competitions involving Israel. She said Athletics Ireland should consider its participation in the World Athletics Championships in September. "I certainly think Athletics Irleand should be looking at it, absolutely. And I realise what that means, I realise what we're asking of our athletes and I don't want to apply pressure to any individual athelete. "That's why the governing bodies need to be the ones to look at it and take that action." Sinn Féin foreign affairs spokesperson, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, said the responsibility of the situation in Gaza should not be on the players' shoulders. "I think the Irish people, they're not looking towards the likes of the basketball team to make decisions, albeit boycotts are imminently justifiable and I think right," he said. "They're looking at the Irish Government. They want to see the Occupied Territories Bill advanced. They want to see the issue in relation to the war bonds being resolved and they want to see further action and a more vocal approach at a European level."
The Journal
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Basketball Ireland 'assessing next steps' for Israel fixture amid humanitarian crisis in Gaza
BASKETBALL IRELAND HAS said it is deciding what it will do regarding the women's match against Israel in November, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches breaking point. The last time they played Israel, in February 2024, the Irish players refused to shake hands with the Israelis, contrary to the pre-match custom. The controversial move followed calls for an outright boycott of the match in protest, which the Ireland team did not heed. The FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers draw, which took place today, saw Ireland drawn in Group A, meaning they'll play back-to-back home games against Luxembourg on 12 November, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 November, before an away game against Israel on 18 November. Basketball Ireland subsequently released a statement saying it is 'extremely alarmed' by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. Advertisement It said that it will liaise with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, and the government to make a decision on whether the team will go ahead with the match, which would require the team to travel to Israel. It added that it is awaiting clarity from FIBA, the international basketball federation, 'on a number of matters'. Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel, while failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied, or risk disqualification or exclusion from future competitions. When the sporting controversy first reared its head in 2024, four months after the events of 7 October, Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan said that a boycott wouldn't 'make a blind bit of difference' . Feehan said he is 'not prepared to destroy my sport for a gesture that will have no impact'. The World Health Organisation today warned of man-made 'mass starvation' in Gaza, with food deliveries into the Palestinian territory 'far below what is needed for the survival of the population'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Basketball Ireland ‘extremely alarmed' and ‘assessing next steps' after being drawn against Israel for Euro qualifiers
BASKETBALL IRELAND revealed it was "assessing our next steps" after being drawn against Israel for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers. travel to face Advertisement However, that fixture has been cast into doubt after The statement read: "Basketball Ireland is extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and as such we are assessing our next steps following today's FIBA "Basketball Ireland have spoken to FIBA "Basketball Ireland will also be liaising with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, the Government, and other stakeholders over the coming days and we will provide an update next week." Advertisement Read More on Basketball The possibility of Ireland boycotting the games against Israel in protest is not certain as the governing body revealed the potential financial implications. The statement continued: "Upon commencement of the competition, Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel. "Failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. "Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied. Advertisement Most read in Other Sports "FIBA Europe rules state that they "may impose addition sanctions according to the FIBA Internal Regulations - Book 1 - General Provisions (Chapter 6)", which includes 'disqualification from a competition in progress and or exclusion from future competitions .'" Controversy surrounded a game between Ireland and Israel in February 2024 when there were calls for them to boycott the fixture in response to the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory. Portland Fire Returns: WNBA Expansion Fueled by the Caitlin Clark Effect They refused citing fears of punishment from FIBA that could have included a five-year ban from international basketball. The Irish Government backed Basketball Ireland's position. Advertisement However, the players themselves refused to take part in pre-match formalities after an Israeli player allegedly slurred Ireland by wrongly calling them "anti-Semitic". Basketball Ireland later described the comments as "inflammatory and wholly inaccurate" in a statement to The Irish Independent. And the association said the remarks had been raised with FIBA, the international basketball federation. 1 Sarah Hickey of Ireland in action against Daniel Karsh of Israel Credit: Oksana Dzadan/Sportsfile Advertisement
The 42
6 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Basketball Ireland 'assessing next steps' for Israel fixture amid humanitarian crisis in Gaza
BASKETBALL IRELAND HAS said it is deciding what it will do regarding the women's match against Israel in November, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches breaking point. The last time they played Israel, in February 2024, the Irish players refused to shake hands with the Israelis, contrary to the pre-match custom. The controversial move followed calls for an outright boycott of the match in protest, which the Ireland team did not heed. The FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers draw, which took place today, saw Ireland drawn in Group A, meaning they'll play back-to-back home games against Luxembourg on 12 November, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 November, before an away game against Israel on 18 November. Advertisement Basketball Ireland subsequently released a statement saying it is 'extremely alarmed' by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. It said that it will liaise with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, and the government to make a decision on whether the team will go ahead with the match, which would require the team to travel to Israel. It added that it is awaiting clarity from FIBA, the international basketball federation, 'on a number of matters'. Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel, while failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied, or risk disqualification or exclusion from future competitions. When the sporting controversy first reared its head in 2024, four months after the events of 7 October, Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan said that a boycott wouldn't 'make a blind bit of difference'. Feehan said he is 'not prepared to destroy my sport for a gesture that will have no impact'. The World Health Organisation today warned of man-made 'mass starvation' in Gaza, with food deliveries into the Palestinian territory 'far below what is needed for the survival of the population'. Written by Mairead Maguire and posted on
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Basketball Ireland 'assessing next steps' after being drawn with Israel in Women's EuroBasket qualifiers
Basketball Ireland are "assessing our next steps" after being drawn to face Israel in the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers. The Girls in Green were also drawn in Group A alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina and Luxembourg in the qualifying stage which is set to begin in Novemeber. Ireland are currently facing a trip to Israel on November 18th but in a statement released on Wednesday, shortly after the draw was made, the associaition outlined the ramifications should they decide against taking part in the fixure. "Basketball Ireland is extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and as such we are assessing our next steps following today's FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers draw, which saw Ireland drawn in Group A alongside Israel, in addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Luxembourg. "Basketball Ireland have spoken to FIBA Europe subsequently and are awaiting clarifications on a number of matters. "Basketball Ireland will also be liaising with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, the Government, and other stakeholders over the coming days and we will provide an update next week. "Ireland are due to begin their FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign with back-to-back home games against Luxembourg on November 12th, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 15th, before an away game against Israel on November 18th. "Upon commencement of the competition, Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel, while failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. "Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied, while FIBA Europe rules state that they 'may impose additional sanctions according to the FIBA Internal Regulations - Book 1 - General Provisions (Chapter 6)', which includes 'disqualification from a competition in progress and/or exclusion from future competitions'."
