Washington state high schools now will allow athletes who object to competing on a particular day for religious reasons to participate in post-season tournaments.
WND reported two athletes who belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist Church sued the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association, the WIAA, after they were barred from post-season play because of their observance of the Sabbath.
The athletes, Joseph Chung and his sister Joelle, had to certify that they would be willing to participate in every level of post-season competition. Under the old rule, if only the final event fell on their Sabbath, Saturday, they would have been banned from post-season play entirely.
Now, the WIAA has added “religious observance” to its list of accepted exceptions.
The new rule reads: “By entering participants in postseason competition, each member certifies that barring injury, illness, religious observance, or unforeseen events, the team or individuals representing the school will participate in every level of competition through the completion of the state championship.”
The two athletes were represented by the non-profit legal group Becket.
“In a common-sense win for religious minorities yesterday, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association changed a rule that would have barred high-school tennis star Joseph Chung from participating in any postseason competition this fall,” Becket said.
His older sister, Joelle, was disqualified from Washington state tennis postseason competition last season because the last day of the championship tournament fell on a Saturday.
Becket explained that, under the old rule, “if even one day of the postseason were scheduled to conflict with the Sabbath, Saturday Sabbath observers would be barred from participating in every day of the postseason, even for games or matches that presented no conflict at all.”
Becket said it is still working to ensure that tournaments are scheduled on days that would allow all athletes to compete to the end.
“No student-athlete should be kept on the sidelines because he has the ‘wrong’ faith,” said Joe Davis, counsel at Becket. “It’s a step in the right direction that Joseph is now able to play in postseason, but we will continue fighting for a solution that will ensure that Sabbath observers can compete all the way through the state championships on the same terms as all other student-athletes.”
WND previously reported Joelle Chung’s concerns.
“As a senior, it was hard giving everything I had to support my team all season, only to be forced to sit out the entire postseason simply because of my faith,” she said. “I’ll never get the chance to play for a state championship again, but hopefully this case will protect other Seventh-day Adventists like my brother from having to choose between sports and their faith.”
The case is reminiscent of the 1981 movie “Chariots of Fire,” the true story of a British Christian, Eric Liddell, who refused to compete in an event at the 1924 Paris Olympics because it took place on a Sunday.
