By Terrence Voon & Valerie Chia

THE Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is set to lobby for changes in basketball rules, so that players wearing hijabs (headscarves) will be allowed to compete.

OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said yesterday that while the council respects the rules set by international sports federations, it does not want to restrict the participation of athletes.

'We don't (want) to control the freedom of the athletes to participate, especially if it's something not related to the sport,' said Sheikh Ahmad, who is also Kuwait's Deputy Prime Minister.

'At the same time, we have to respect the regulations and the rules of any international federation. But we will work very closely with them to change it in the future.'

OCA, as well as basketball's world governing body Federation Internationale de Basketball (Fiba), were in the spotlight yesterday after a Kuwaiti player was barred from playing at the Asian Youth Games (AYG) because she was wearing a hijab.

Rabab Abdullah, 16, missed the first two games of the 3-on-3 basketball competition earlier this week. Officials deemed that she was not properly attired.

Three players from Bahrain were also initially barred for the same reason but, unlike the Kuwaiti, they were given the all-clear on Wednesday evening by the OCA to play their matches on Thursday.

This was because the change in rules was not communicated to the Kuwaitis.

When contacted yesterday, Fiba confirmed that its rules prohibit the use of headgear and hair accessories and that 'all equipment used by players must be appropriate for the game'.

In an e-mailed reply, Fiba's press director Marcos Beltra also noted that the OCA is the governing body of the AYG, and thus has the right to establish its own rules for the event.

'However, the OCA originally committed itself to play the Asian Youth Games according to Fiba rules, rules which are crystal clear,' he added. 'But, with the tournament already in progress, the OCA has decided to modify these rules.'

Yesterday, the Kuwaiti team played with Rabab, their captain and point guard, for the first time. They lost 27-32 to Nepal in their final preliminary game.

Kuwait are now out of the girls' competition, having lost all three of their opening matches.

After the game, Kuwait coach Yousef Khaled called on Fiba to amend its rules to allow religious headgear.

'I think the rules should be changed,' he said. 'It's just a scarf and it doesn't affect the players.'

Rabab - who scored 15 points yesterday - remains sore about the whole incident.

She said: 'I'm a little happy I could finally play but very much more angry because of what happened.

'I wish they'd change the rules so girls who wear hijabs can still play basketball. I didn't win any matches here, but my presence is a little victory for the girls who wear hijabs.'

This story was first published in The Straits Times.