A Muslim ball hockey tournament in Burnaby, B.C. came to an abrupt end on Sunday after a brawl some say was religiously charged.
Izaiah Buksh, 20, was beaten and lost a tooth when a fight involving up to 20 men broke out during a Sunday game in the B.C. Muslim Brotherhood hockey tournament in the BCIT College gym.
Buksh says he was warned not to play in the tournament because, even though he is Muslim, he is not a Sunni Muslim.
His father, Ahmed Buksh, said he was scared for his son's life.
"I was just in shock, and a few seconds the whole gym was full of people, two boys running for their lives like I've never seen before," said Buksh.
But the B.C. Muslim Sports Association -- the organization that sponsors the tournament -- says religion had nothing to do with it. Spokesperson Bashir Patel says the whole incident was completely sports related.
"This is multicultural, we are citizens of Canada, we do follow the rules, I hope this clears the air this is not a racial tension," Patel told CTV News.
The association said it will issue sanctions against some of the players involved in the fight.
Police were called to the scene after the brawl, but no arrests were made.
Both BCIT and the RCMP are investigating. The college has handed over surveillance tape to investigators to review.
A spokesperson from the college says he believes the fight started when someone accidentally hit the boy in the mouth with a stick.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward
