Irish Wheelchair Basketball Team to Protest Israel Match with Black Armbands

The Irish women’s wheelchair basketball team will bow their heads during the national anthem and wear black armbands when they face Israel on Wednesday 14 October, in the European Championship qualifiers in Nottwil, Switzerland, according to reporting by rte.ie.

The Decision to Play and Governing Body Stance

The choice to proceed with the qualifying fixture has drawn sharp criticism from activist organizations, including Irish Sport for Palestine and Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine, which have publicly called on the Irish team to boycott the game. Political pressure has also mounted, with Sinn Féin Senator Chris Andrews raising the matter in the Seanad to question public funding allocations. The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) defended the participation decision, stating that the final choice rested with its board after consultation with the players.

Player consultation has been and remains an important and integral part of consideration for this decision. This decision was not taken lightly. We agree that disability sport should be held to the same standards of accountability and scrutiny as any other sport.

Irish Wheelchair Association

The IWA also addressed Senator Andrews’ criticisms regarding online fundraising pages that initially omitted mention of the scheduled match against Israel. The association stated that feedback received on August 14, was swiftly incorporated by August 18, when a list of all four competing teams was added. According to the IWA, the fundraising pages were established solely to help cover travel and participation costs not fully met by national funding, with no intention to mislead donors.

Tournament Schedule and Demographics

The tournament runs from October 13 through October 18, in Nottwil, Switzerland. The Irish squad opened its campaign against the Women of Europe on October 13, before facing Israel on October 14, and concluding its group fixtures against Turkey on October 16. Those preliminary matches determine whether the team advances to the semi-finals.

The travelling delegation consists of eight female amateur wheelchair basketball players, two minors, and five support volunteers handling coaching, management, and safeguarding duties. Whether competition organizers from the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation will impose sanctions on the team for staging the anthem protest remains unconfirmed.