Epress.am News from Armenia
The International Basketball Federation, or FIBA, has fined the Turkish Basketball Federation, or TBF, 3,200 Swiss Francs for interrupting a performance by female dancers during the World Basketball Championship, the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review reports.
The New York Times quoted the dance team’s coach, Elena Rozhkova, as saying her team “was pulled from the past three Turkey games for a political reason.”
Basketball’s international governing body admitted to the daily that cultural adjustments were made. Apart from Turkey’s matches, the United States-Iran game played in Istanbul’s Abdi İpekçi Arena saw cheerleaders perform with less revealing outfits.
“It is a balance between respecting the culture and making sure basketball delivers all the pace, excitement and entertainment that goes with the World Championship,” FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann was quoted as saying in the daily. “If it needs a little bit of adjustment, that is fine with us.”
TBF officials, however, denied claims there were political issues behind the cheerleaders’ no-show in Ankara.