Ireland shuns handshake with Israel basketball team

Irish women’s basketball team refuses handshake with Israeli team in EuroBasket 2029

On Thursday, the Irish women’s national basketball team opted not to shake hands with the Israeli women’s national team before the commencement of the 2025 Women’s EuroBasket qualifier in Riga, Latvia. 

Israeli player Sa’ar, who debuted in the match, expressed joy in representing her country. While acknowledging the challenging circumstances, she emphasized the importance of demonstrating national pride on the court.

“It’s always fun to represent the country, certainly at this time. I’m happy that we won, and let’s continue like this. I don’t want to get into the political issue, but it gives drive and motivation; we screamed the anthem and sang with pride; we need to show the whole world that we are Israel and we will stay here,” Sa’ar stated.

In its statement, Basketball Ireland commended the Irish women’s national basketball team for their “incredible maturity” in handling a “very pressured week.” 

The decision by the Irish team carries potential consequences beyond the immediate context of the EuroBasket qualifier. Basketball Ireland mentioned that refusing to participate in the customary pre-match handshake could lead to the removal of Ireland from the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers and the subsequent qualifying campaign.

Source: Newsroom

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