Wheelchair basketball brawl broken up with tear gas

Riot police used tear gas to disperse brawling supporters during the wheelchair basketball game between rivals Galatasary and Besiktas at the Ahmet Comert Sports Hall in Istanbul on Sunday.



A court invasion had already caused a half-hour delay before the game started. Galatasaray were leading 31-26 when the referees suspended the game, six minutes from the end of second quarter.

At least ten fans were detained after the Istanbul police examined the footage of the incident, which left broken wheelchairs and a basketball court filled with tear gas, after fans chanted obscene slogans at each other during the game.


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Besiktas and Galatasaray have been rivals for more than a century, and although football is the most popular sport in Turkey, fans occasionally find opportunities to fight during other sporting fixtures. Fans of three rival Istanbul clubs – Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce – are not allowed to attend away fixtures at football or basketball games, but the regulation doesn't apply to other sports, including wheelchair basketball.