Andreas Zagklis, Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), was concerned after Paris organizers were considering using the football stadium in Lille, about 210 kilometers from Paris, as they had difficulty finding a suitable basketball court for basketball games before the medal rounds at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. he said he heard.
The original plan for basketball in Paris 2024 was to use an arena in Paris, but the arena there was abandoned in March after the backlash from NBA players from France that the ceiling was too low for basketball.
Speaking at the general assembly meeting of the Association of Summer Olympics International Federations (ASOIF) in Lausanne, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said, “We have faced 3 hall changes so far and we are currently talking about the fourth. We do not want our athletes to be faced with the solution that appears in the current situation. We are concerned about this. Playing in Lille, located in the northeast near the Belgian border, means players are unable to stay in the Athletes Village in Paris or face several hours of transport time. We think that our athletes should experience the Olympic feeling by staying in the Olympic Village and participating in the opening-closing ceremonies. We are not sure about the conditions of the stadium during the hottest days of summer, but whether a safe playing field can be guaranteed in conditions where we can take care of the athletes’ rest and meals. We would be happy to play in a bigger stadium, we would like to help the organizers sell more tickets. But for our players, as in all previous Olympics, we expect some basic conditions to be respected.” said.
If the stadium in Lille is approved, the men’s and women’s basketball tournament will not arrive in Paris until the finals in August. Due to the presence of NBA and WNBA stars and the popularity of basketball in France, basketball is expected to be among the most popular sports at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
From Zagklis’ statements, ASOIF suggested that the International Olympic Committee could mediate a much-needed solution soon. ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said Paris organizers find themselves in a different economic context than a few years ago, but FIBA’s stance is understandable.
Speaking after Andreas Zagklis’s speech, Paris Organizing Committee President Tony Estanguet said, “I agree with what Andreas said and I thank FIBA for their support from the beginning. We were not in an easy situation as we were dealing with so many different crises happening all over the world. We strive to deliver what we promise. I would like to say that basketball is a very popular and important sport in France. We have to find solutions to this popularity as best we can and within our budget.” he said.
