Source:

September 3, 2010

Scantily clad and gyrating cheerleaders are as much a part of basketball as the slam dunk.

But when the USA met Iran this week at the World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, there was something missing – flesh.

The lithe-limbed ladies of the Red Foxes troupe decided to swap their traditional uniform of tight lycra tops and revealing hotpants for white baggy T-shirts and long black leggings.

Organisers say it was a ‘nod to Muslim law’, and that the cheerleaders dressed appropriately to represent ultra-conservative Iran.

Cheerleaders for the USA also wore more modest outfits than usual – but it still wasn’t enough to placate the most hardline of Iranian officials, who left the arena shortly before the cheerleaders took to the floor.

A little bit more predictably, the USA defeated Iran 88-51.

Patrick Baumann, secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), said ‘special arrangements’ had been made with the dancers’ dress on Wednesday.

‘We want entertainment to be part of the basketball game. If it needs a little bit of adjustment that is fine with us,’ he said.

‘It is a balance between respecting the culture and making sure basketball delivers all the pace, excitement and entertainment that goes with the World Championship.’

The presence of cheerleaders at the tournament has caused something of a problem for Turkey, a secular nation which is overwhelmingly Muslim.

Dancers were missing altogether from Turkey’s two most recent matches in Ankara. At other matches, officials turned their back in order to avoid viewing the scantily clad cheerleaders and their energetic routines.

Four teams of dancers have been entertaining fans in the Turkish host venues of Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri.

The Red Foxes, who are from the Ukraine, performed alongside squads from Russia and Lithuania. They were absent for Turkey’s tie with Greece on Tuesday and the host nation’s match against Russia on Sunday.

The Russia match was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, who wears the Muslim headscarf.

A spokeswoman for Turkey’s Sport and Youth directorate said she was not aware of any ban on cheerleaders at Turkish games.

But a source said  that Turkish government authorities had asked informally that cheerleaders not be present at games attended by officials of the ruling AK Party, which has roots in political Islam.