Kieran Shannon: Irish basketball in impossible situation over Israel fixture

The Ireland women's team are caught between FIBA and protestors over a fixture they don't want to play

Aine O'Connor of Ireland, and her teammates stand for the national anthems before the FIBA Women's EuroBasket Championship qualifier match between Ireland and France at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Thirteen years ago this very week, news broke that Irish basketball was withdrawing from international competition because of the dire finances of its governing body.

It was particularly devastating for the senior women’s programme. In the previous European championship qualifying campaign, they had come within a whisker of breaking into the A division.