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FIBA bans Russia and Belarus from the next World Cup

FIBA, the highest body in international basketball, announced today that it excludes Russia and Belarus from participating in its competitions due to the open conflict with Ukraine. The ban at the moment only covers the tournaments and events that will be played in the current cycle. This includes the Women’s World Cup to be held later this year in Sydney, qualification for the 2023 Men’s World Cup in Southeast Asia, and a host of 3v3 tournaments. Also, FIBA ​​will not hold any type of event in either country.

The women’s team will lose the place it had already earned in the World Cup to Puerto Rico. As for the men’s, which was 3-0 on its way to the 2023 World Cup, their clashes will not be taken into account when counting. Various sports competitions and organizations have placed similar restrictions on these nations, with the EuroLeague being the closest case. The main European club tournament announced the withdrawal of the Russian teams a few days after the conflict began. FIBA has waited to ascertain the scope of the war in time before making a decision. At the moment the agency has not clarified its future plans with respect to Russia and Belarus.

(Cover photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

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