The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) did not allow the Russian national team to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The press service of the organization writes about this with reference to the decision of the executive committee.
There they approved the list of participants in the pre-qualification Olympic tournament, which did not include the Russian menʼs national team. Bulgaria entered these competitions instead of Russia.
FIBA claims that they were guided by the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee.
In total, 28 teams, including the Ukrainian team, will participate in the qualifying tournament. It will take place from 12 to 20 August 2023 and will determine the two teams that will represent their countries at the Olympics in Paris next year.
- The Ministry of Sports of Ukraine, by the decision of the government, prohibited the national teams from participating in competitions where there will be Russians or Belarusians.
- In January 2023, the International Olympic Committee recommended allowing Russians and Belarusians to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris under a neutral flag, and then criticized the decision of the Ukrainian government not to allow athletes to participate in the qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympics shared with Russians and Belarusians. The IOC stated that "governments do not decide which athletes can participate in which international competitions."
- 35 countries opposed the admission of Russians and Belarusians to international sports competitions due to the war in Ukraine. Germany has said that it will deny visas to Russian athletes if the IOC allows them to participate in international competitions.