Basketball’s international governing body has approved a new rule that will allow players to wear headgear that complies with their religious faith.

The Switzerland-based body, known as FIBA, says the rule will take effect in games from on Oct. 1.

Then, players can wear hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes after a 20-year ban on head coverings that was initially imposed for safety reasons.

FIBA member federations passed the rule Thursday at a congress in Hong Kong after studying the issue since 2014, and with several conditions on design and color.

Headgear will be permitted under the following conditions: must be black, white or the same dominant color as a team’s uniform; not cover any part of the face entirely or partially; and have “no opening/closing elements around the face and/or neck.”
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