TURKEY: Cheerleaders go for modesty at Iran-U.S. basketball game

The United States, including Lakers star Lamar Odom, blew out Iran score-wise in the basketball game between the two teams in the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul on Wednesday with an 88-51 victory over the Islamic Republic.

But Iran may have won a smaller victory. It may have prompted the otherwise lightly clad Ukrainian cheerleaders to dress a little more conservatively for the game.

Patrick Baumann, secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), said "special arrangements" had been made prior to the game on Wednesday regarding the dancers' outfits to respect cultural sensitivities, reported Reuters.

"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 news agency quoted him as saying at a news conference.

The outfits donned by the Ukrainian cheerleaders of the Red Foxes dance troupe during the Iran-U.S. game differed greatly from the costumes the women wore during other matches.

Take the recent game between Greece and the Ivory Coast in which they danced on the basketball arena in leopard-print halter tops with matching tights.

During such performances, Iranian officials  reportedly have stood up and turned their backs. Some of them left prior to the cheerleaders' routine during the Iranian-American match Wednesday.

On the other hand, news reports say dancers were completely absent from the arena during Turkey's games.

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Photos, from top: Dancers perform at the FIBA Basketball World Championship game between the U.S. and Iran in Istanbul on Wednesday. In other games in the series, dancers from the Ukrainian dance troop Red Fox donned much less conservative wear. Credit: Reuters

Comments

[Hany G.]

@Just_Wondering Probably they would enslave the girls,force them dance to their very old Mullahs while sitting on the floor of their private tents, smoking hash from their hookas, and eating lamp & rice with their fingures. These people are hypocrates, they do everything in private. Islam sanctions and recommend slavery and concubines (unlimited numbers).

[JEsk]

well at least it's a change over the usual routine ,and I always like something new

[Omer]

Extremely poor piece - it looks like the writer did not even bother to check out the official FIBA web page.

Here's a photo of cheerleaders from Cote d'Ivoire vs Turkey game (I guess they "were NOT completely absent"):

http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/photos/p/eid/4728/rid//sid/4728/selimgid/87140/catids/705%2C558%2C528%2C618%2C478%2C553/orderby/0/gcid/3/displaydate/-1/picture.html

Also, here's a photo from the Iran - Brazil game (with mini skirts that the writer of the article was so interested in):

http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/photos/p/eid/4728/rid//sid/4728/selimgid/87610/catids/705%2C558%2C528%2C618%2C478%2C553/orderby/0/gcid/3/displaydate/-1/picture.html

A quick search with the keyword "cheerleaders" shows a lot of results:

http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/p/eid/4728/rid//sid/4728/q/cheerleaders/search.html

It looks like each game had special costumes designed - and girls are in skirts, shorts, tights, etc...

I recommend -the so called bloggers- to at least google on the issue before posting on a news outlet such as LA Times.

Cheers!

[Just_Wondering]

What if our forces in Afghanistan were to project video of the cheerleaders in advance of our troops? Would the jihadists all turn away, and leave the field of battle?

[Marco]

Those outfit are pretty sexy ehh?

[Krystal Clear]

I've never understood why modesty is such a "controversial" subject.

[Diogenes]

"It is really sad that the world caters to these religious fanatics. "

You really never spent time in the Bible Belt have you?

[mark shapiro]

would they have stoned them to death like they do in afghanistan?

[puggn']

Iran has a basketball team??!

[Steve]

Nice to see Turkey bending over backwards to accomodate Iran. You think Iran would return the favor?

Neither do I.

[Danielle]

I'm not a religious fanatic, but I am a woman.. I think it would be JUST AS EASY to say, "It's really sad that the cheerleaders have to always cater to these perverts". Maybe if cheerleaders didn't have to worry about their breasts and bums popping out of their uniforms all the time, or of their bodies were perfect and flawless to be on display 24/7 for men to drool over, the world would be a better place (for girls and women, at least). I'm sure the girls themselves weren't complaining about easing up on the makeup and mini skirts for one day to wear ::shock/horror!:: tee shirts and stretchy pants. (something like they probably wear to practice) Really, it's not as if they had to stop dancing or go wear face veils and potato sacks. Personally, I found their outfits to be refreshing and forcing the attention to their dance moves and talent vs. their 'God-given (and surgeon-given) assets', for once.

[vb]

Due to the past violations of Human Rights by Turkey, these games should have been boycotted.

Violations include:

The Denial of the Armenian Genocide
The Denial of the Assyrian Genocide
The Denial of the Greek Gencoide
The occupation of Cyprus
The illegal blockade of Armenia
The suppression of the Kurds
The imprisonment of journalists
The suppression of Freedom of Speech
The Torture of Prisoners
And Many others...

Boycott all Turkish Products!!

[Harry]

I don't know. This outfit, to me at least, is sexier than the usual outfit.

[Steve Maynard]

It is really sad that the world caters to these religious fanatics.