Vuvuzelas Banned from FIBA World Championships

The buzzing noise that we couldn’t escape during the World Cup won’t be around during the FIBA tourney: “FIBA has announced that it is to ban the vuvuzela from the forthcoming basketball World Championship in Turkey because of health concerns. The sport’s international governing body is urging fans not to bring the controversial instruments to games and warned that security staff will confiscate them. Supporters also face expulsion from the tournament’s five venues if they flout the ban. FIBA is the first international sport federation to officially ban the vuvuzela from all of its events. The ban will also include pressure horns that can produce similar decibel levels and harm people’s health. The noise made by the horns was a major talking point at the football World Cup in South Africa with opinion divided over the effect they had on the atmosphere during games. Patrick Baumann, the Secretary-General of FIBA and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said: ‘We want fans to enjoy themselves and make lots of noise but not at the risk of spoiling it for others. The vuvuzela is simply not appropriate in a confined space such as a basketball arena. It’s a very loud instrument and some medical experts believe the decibel level and frequency can be harmful to hearing.”’