Wheelchair basketball team plans Israel match protest

Members of Ireland's women's wheelchair basketball team intend to observe a moment of silence and wear black armbands while playing against Israel in a European Championship qualifier. Their match against Israel is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14th. This protest mirrors actions taken by Irish football players in their UEFA Nations League games against Israel.

The decision to participate in the match has faced criticism from various groups, including Irish Sport for Palestine, Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine, and Sinn Féin Senator Chris Andrews. Senator Andrews emphasized that the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), which receives substantial national funding, should not be subjected to different standards due to its nature as a disability sport.

The IWA acknowledged that the final decision to participate rests with its Board, but stressed that player consultation was integral to this decision. They affirmed that disability sport should be held to the same standards as other sports. The team is set to travel to Nottwil, Switzerland, for a competition that begins tomorrow and concludes on Sunday.

Their first match is on Tuesday against the Women of Europe, with the final match against Turkey on Thursday determining their progression to the semi-finals. The IWA addressed previous criticisms regarding its online fundraising pages, which initially did not mention the upcoming match against Israel. They clarified that these pages were intended to cover the team's costs, as full funding was not sufficient.

The fundraising pages did not intend to mislead donors or withhold information about the participating teams.