Multi-Olympic Medalist Russian Team’s Paris Olympics Hopes Shattered as FIBA Takes a Strong Step Amidst Ukraine Controversy
Follow Us
The upcoming Paris Olympics has already created a lot of buzz surrounding various arenas and issues. Politics and sports have come together, and various subjects have been brought up ahead of the championship. Particularly, the participation of the countries like Russia and Belarus is being debated by various federations and the mass.
Recently, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced that they won’t allow the Russian men’s basketball team to participate in the Pre-Qualifying Tournaments. This comes after the International Olympic Committee’s decision to let Russian and Belarusian athletes participate under a neutral flag. Let’s dive into the details.
Russian men’s basketball team joins their women counterparts ahead of Paris Olympics
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Last year, the Russian women’s basketball team was suspended from qualifying tournaments for two years in light of the Russia-Ukraine war. In fact, the committee even released a statement back then, declaring a ban on Russians from participating in any international events. And this year, FIBA announced the ban on the men’s team, thus eliminating the country’s participation in the final event altogether.
Earlier, the IOC released a statement allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation in the Olympics, provided they compete as individuals. They couldn’t, however, participate as a team representing their country or an organization associated with their country.
Trending
Fresh Controversy Brews After Sha’Carri Richardson and Team USA ‘Outfit’ Fallout As Athlete Robbed of Paris Olympics Dream Over Sponsorship
May 01, 2024 04:27 PM EDT
Canelo Alvarez Sums Up Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia Rematch in Four Words
May 01, 2024 02:25 PM EDT
Joe Gibbs Racing Warn Rick Hendrick Camp Against Underestimating Desperate Underdogs
April 30, 2024 10:48 PM EDT
“That’s What Dale Earnhardt Did”—NASCAR Veteran Dissects Rick Hendrick’s Call to Commit Financially Behind HMS Star
May 01, 2024 04:48 AM EDT
Madrid Open: Disappointed Coco Gauff Fans Demand Rightful Streaming of Her Intense Encounter Against Madison Keys
April 29, 2024 06:39 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest Olympics stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
“Olympic Games Are About Peace”: Vowing to Boycott, Ukrainian Swimmers Call Out IOC, Amidst Russian Controversy
Interestingly, FIBA did not bring up the Belarusian basketball team since the country didn’t rank high enough to participate. The Pre-Qualifying tournaments have come up as a relief for countries who missed out on the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Around 40 nations still have the chance to make it to the upcoming Olympics.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What about the qualifiers by other Olympic federations?
According to Forbes, FIBA is not the only organization that took major decisions surrounding Russia and Belarus’s participation. Many other Olympic federations went ahead and either canceled their qualifying events or upheld their ban on the countries.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Polish, German, and French Fencing Federations announced the cancellation of qualifying events. Whereas the International Ice Hockey Federation and International Gymnastics Federation upheld their ban on Russian and Belarusian teams. While the IOC’s decision still stands, it is unclear as to what the future holds for athletes from both countries.
Watch This Story: Swimming Legend Michael Phelps’s Top 5 Iconic Career Races
Edited by:
Simar Singh Wadhwa