The Sports Authority of Vietnam announced on November 28 that Vietnam's national basketball team will miss key players in the 5x5 event at SEA Games 33. Some overseas Vietnamese players are still listed for the 3x3 squad but will not compete in the 5x5 category.

Thao My and Thao Vy (pictured) will join Nguyen Thi Tieu Duy and Bui Thu Hang in the 3x3 event at SEA Games 33 in Thailand. *Photo: VBF*

The reason stems from a change in eligibility standards set by the organizers. Host nation Thailand stipulates that all athletes participating in the 5x5 event in Bangkok must be recognized as domestic players under International Basketball Federation (FIBA) regulations.

According to FIBA, domestic players are those born in the host country or who obtained a passport for that nation before turning 16. With few exceptions, players acquiring citizenship after their 16th birthday are considered naturalized. This rule is known as the Hagop Rule, named after former Asian Basketball Federation executive director, Hagop Khajirian.

In FIBA-governed tournaments, each team can only register one naturalized player. This limit arose over a decade ago when many Gulf nations, particularly Qatar, heavily invested in bringing foreign players to compete for their national teams.

The SEA Games, however, are not part of FIBA's competition program. The number of naturalized players allowed to play is entirely up to the organizers. For example, the 2017 Malaysia event permitted one naturalized player per team, but the last three Games had no such limit. Athletes only needed a valid passport to be eligible. This flexibility allowed teams like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia to achieve unprecedented milestones. Cambodia notably sparked controversy by naturalizing five female and seven male players, securing one gold and one silver medal in Phnom Penh two years ago.

Thao My and Thao Vy, alongside Huynh Thi Ngoan (left) and Tieu Duy (right), won a historic gold medal for Vietnamese basketball in the 3x3 event at SEA Games 32 in Cambodia in 2023. *Photo: Hieu Luong*

While other teams heavily naturalized players, Thailand faced a disadvantage due to a lack of investment, leading to declining performance. In the last two SEA Games, they only secured two bronze medals in men's 5x5, contrasting with their success at the 2019 Games where they won two silver medals. As a nation with top-tier domestic players, second only to the Philippines, Thailand is expected to benefit from not competing against naturalized athletes from opposing teams.

This new restriction makes it difficult for many overseas Vietnamese to represent their home country. Most of these players were not born in Vietnam and only acquired citizenship after adulthood. In previous years, only three players—Stefan Nguyen (who obtained citizenship before age 16), Tran Dang Khoa (born in Vietnam), and Justin Young (a special case)—were recognized by FIBA as domestic players. At SEA Games 2017, player Horace Nguyen traveled to Malaysia but was forced to sit out, having yielded the naturalized player slot to Dinh Thanh Tam.

Before this year's SEA Games, the Vietnam Basketball Federation applied to FIBA for domestic player status for four individuals, but only Tam Dinh met the requirements regarding residency, family origins, and other criteria. The remaining players were denied.

This poses a significant disadvantage for both national teams. In the last two Games, sisters Truong Thao My and Truong Thao Vy were pivotal in helping the women's team improve its performance, nearing a top three finish in 5x5 in both Hanoi and Phnom Penh. The duo also played a major role in securing a historic 3x3 gold medal in Cambodia two years ago. Meanwhile, Chris Dierker, an experienced center, helped the men's national team win three medals since the Philippines 2019 Games.

These players can still contribute in the 3x3 event, as the organizers apply FIBA's regulations for this format. In international tournaments, athletes only need citizenship to play for their national team. The 3x3 event is also a medal focus for the team, having yielded one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal since its introduction at SEA Games 2019.

Vietnam is not the only nation facing difficulties with the new 5x5 nationality rule. The Philippines initially listed five naturalized players due to a misunderstanding of the regulations. However, with a strong pool of players, this top Asian team remains capable of defending its gold medal.

By Vy Anh