The Ireland women's basketball team refused to partake in the traditional pre-match handshake with their Israeli opponents at the pair's controversial Eurobasket 2025 qualifier in Riga this afternoon.
Having resisted widespread calls to boycott the game, Basketball Ireland were incensed by comments made by Israeli player Dor Sa'ar accusing the Irish of "anti-Semitism", branding the accusation "inflammatory and wholly innaccurate".
These comments followed those of Israeli coach Sharon Drucker, who said the Irish "did not respect" what sport symbolises after he and his players had posed for pictures with armed Israeli soldiers at the weekend.
Half an hour before tip-off this afternoon, Basketball Ireland announced that, in protest at recent comments from Israeli players and staff, the Irish team would "not be partaking in traditional pre-match arrangements with our upcoming opponents.
"This includes the exchanging of gifts, formal handshakes before and after the game, while our players will line up for the Irish national anthem by our bench rather than centre court."
They added that, "Basketball Ireland fully supports our players in their decision."
Ireland were defeated 87-57 by Israel in Riga, where where matters off the court overshadowed the Eurobasket 2025 qualifier pic.twitter.com/lJj9ZOdHrE
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 8, 2024
The Irish players followed through on their promise prior to tip-off, refusing to shake hands with their opponents and lining up by their bench for the rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann.
Israel won the fixture 87-57.
Ireland head coach James Weldon said: "I would prefer to be talking about basketball and not this, we didn't engage in the pre-match activities as a direct result of those unwarranted and unacceptable comments from the Israeli camp about our players.
"It was hugely disappointing, we came here for a game of basketball, we wanted to win, but didn’t come out on the right side of the result on this occasion. We had three international debutants in this game, we’re building a squad, so there’s positives to take from this game.
"I think for such a young group of players they showed incredible maturity in how they handled a very pressured week, it's been difficult for all of us, but we kept it tight and kept it together and all I can say is that we did not back down out there today."
The match has generated enormous controversy, with widespread calls for Ireland to boycott the fixture in light of the ongoing war in Gaza.
Several prominent Irish basketball players, including former women's international Rebecca O'Keefe, as well as Kieran Donaghy and Michael Dara Macauley to boycott the fixture. A number of current Irish internationals opted not to travel to the game.
However, Basketball Ireland insisted they could not afford the financial or competitive implications of not playing the game, with CEO John Feehan telling RTÉ Sport on Tuesday that the potential sanctions could set the Ireland women's team back a decade.
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