
Meet the 21-year-old Louth basketball coach turning heads
The Argus
Californian born, but Dundalk raised, Elijah Faapito created a bit of Louth sporting history recently when he was named Basketball Ireland's 'Underage Coach of the Year' - a national honour for the Dundalk Ravens U20s coach – but what makes the award remarkable, is that Elijah is only 21 - barely out of U20s himself. It's an award normally associated with an older or a more experienced coach.
He's the youngest recipient of the award and it's recognition for guiding the Dundalk Ravens U20s to a National Cup title.
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Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Irish Times
Basketball Ireland ‘assessing next steps' after women's team drawn in group with Israel
Basketball Ireland has said it is assessing its 'next steps' after being drawn in a qualifying group for the women's European basketball championships that includes the Israeli national team. The organisation said it was 'extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza ', and did not confirm that it would play the fixture as scheduled. It said it was 'awaiting clarifications on a number of matters' with Fiba Europe, the European basketball governing body. A spokesperson for Basketball Ireland declined to provide details to The Irish Times on what matters it had raised with Fiba Europe and what clarifications had been sought from the body. READ MORE Basketball Ireland said it 'will also be liaising with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, the Government, and other stakeholders over the coming days'. The organisation expects to provide an update on the situation next week. A spokesperson for the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport said Basketball Ireland was an independent body and was 'autonomous in their decision making, including regarding the organisation of and participation in international sporting competitions'. 'Neither the Minister nor the department has any role in this regard and there has been no communication recently on this matter between the department and Basketball Ireland,' a spokesperson said. The Irish women's squad is ranked 81st in the world, while the Israeli national team is 47th. The two teams are first scheduled to play each other on November 18th in Israel, the Irish squad's final fixture in the early stages of the qualifying round. Basketball Ireland would suffer a fine of up to €80,000 if the team failed to play the game after the qualifying competition started, the organisation said. 'Failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000' and removal from the next two European basketball championships, in 2027 and 2029, it added. 'Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied', as well as 'additional sanctions' from FIBA Europe which could include 'exclusion from future competitions'. Basketball Ireland secured a core grant from Sporting Ireland last year of €900,000, with a €63,908 grant earmarked for 'women in sport'. Financial statements showed the organisation was working at a €188,000 deficit last year. The Irish team also expressed discomfort with fulfilling fixtures against the Israeli team last year. Basketball Ireland said it could not 'guarantee the safety of the Israeli team' playing a fixture in Dublin due to 'the likelihood of protests' over their presence in the State. [ From the archive: Basketball Ireland CEO on playing Israel game: 'I'm not prepared to destroy my sport for a gesture that will have no impact' Opens in new window ] Israeli team member Dor Saar said last year that 'it's known that they [Ireland] are quite anti-Semitic, it's not a secret', which Basketball Ireland strongly denied and condemned. The fixtures were played, although 'traditional prematch arrangements', such as players shaking hands and exchanging gifts, were not carried out. [ How did the Irish women's basketball team become embroiled in controversy over Israel? Opens in new window ] Israel won both the first game, which led to the terse exchange of words, and the return fixture, both taking place in Riga.


RTÉ News
15 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Ireland consider withdrawing from FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers following draw with Israel
Basketball Ireland have issued a statement expressing concern over the ongoing crisis in Gaza, as they consider withdrawing from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers after being drawn in a group with Israel. At present, the governing body has spoken with FIBA Europe and are awaiting further clarification. "Basketball Ireland is extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza," they outlined in a press release on Wednesday. "And as such we are assessing our next steps following today's FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers draw, which saw Ireland drawn in Group A alongside Israel, in addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Luxembourg." This draw echoes a similar lottery that saw the Irish women's basketball team participate against Israel during the Women's EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in November 2024. This fixture was met with protest from the Irish players who refused to shake hands with their opponents. Should Ireland fail to participate in their first away qualifier against Israel, they will be subject to a fine of up to €80,000. Subsequently, failure to take part in their return fixture against Israel will result in a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers and the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. If Ireland elects to withdraw from the Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifying campaign altogether before it starts, they would be applied a fine of up to €30,000. Additionally, FIBA Europe rules state that they "may impose additional sanctions according to the FIBA Internal Regulations - Book 1 - General Provisions (Chapter 6)" which is concerned with 'disqualification from a competition in progress and/or exclusion from future competitions'.

The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
Basketball Ireland 'assessing next steps' for Israel fixture amid humanitarian crisis in Gaza
BASKETBALL IRELAND HAS said it is deciding what it will do regarding the women's match against Israel in November, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches breaking point. The last time they played Israel, in February 2024, the Irish players refused to shake hands with the Israelis, contrary to the pre-match custom. The controversial move followed calls for an outright boycott of the match in protest, which the Ireland team did not heed. The FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers draw, which took place today, saw Ireland drawn in Group A, meaning they'll play back-to-back home games against Luxembourg on 12 November, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 November, before an away game against Israel on 18 November. Basketball Ireland subsequently released a statement saying it is 'extremely alarmed' by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. Advertisement It said that it will liaise with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, and the government to make a decision on whether the team will go ahead with the match, which would require the team to travel to Israel. It added that it is awaiting clarity from FIBA, the international basketball federation, 'on a number of matters'. Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel, while failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied, or risk disqualification or exclusion from future competitions. When the sporting controversy first reared its head in 2024, four months after the events of 7 October, Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan said that a boycott wouldn't 'make a blind bit of difference' . Feehan said he is 'not prepared to destroy my sport for a gesture that will have no impact'. The World Health Organisation today warned of man-made 'mass starvation' in Gaza, with food deliveries into the Palestinian territory 'far below what is needed for the survival of the population'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal