The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has changed its rules to allow female players to wear hijabs during games.
Hijabs, a head covering worn by many Muslim women, were previously not allowed from the games, for reasons FIBA said were for safety purposes.
There have been calls for the federation to allow Muslim players to wear the attires for religious reasons.
In a high-profile case, the Qatari women’s team withdrew from the 2014 Asian Games after being denied permission to wear the hijab.
The new rules will take effect from October 1.
“The new rule comes as a result of the fact that traditional dress codes in some countries – which called for the head and/or entire body being covered – were incompatible with previous headgear rules,” a Fiba statement read.
Fiba began a revision process of its headgear rule in September 2014, with exceptions being granted at national level as part of a two-year testing period.
Earlier that year, football’s governing body Fifa officially authorized the wearing of head covers for religious reasons during matches.
