Kobe and Lebron won’t be at the World Basketball Championships, which start on August 28th in Turkey. Neither will any of the other NBA players who helped Team USA win the Gold at the 2008 Olympics. But if you’re still going to watch the tournament, here’s one consolation: No vuvuzelas. The organizers have banned the horns, saying that they’re “not appropriate in a confined space such as a basketball arena.”

The New York Times sounds off:

”We want fans to enjoy themselves and make lots of noise but not at the risk of spoiling it for others,” FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann said in a statement. ”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.”

The world championships begin Aug. 28 in four cities in Turkey. FIBA warned that the instruments will be confiscated by security and the ban will be enforced at all of its indoor tournaments, such as the women’s world championships this year. Anyone bringing a vuvuzela to a FIBA venue risks expulsion.

The championship series will be aired, vuvuzela-free, on ESPN 8, the Ocho. (Just kidding. It’ll stream on ESPN 3, or ESPN 360, or whatever it’s called now. Hmm, maybe it will be the Ocho after all.)

Vuvuzelas Silenced for Basketball Worlds [NYTimes.com]

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