FIBA suspended Russia from competing in international tournaments, which would have included the Olympics and events necessary to qualify for the Olympics, but Russia got that overturned.
Dmitriy Rogovitskiy of Retuers:
Governing body FIBA has lifted the ban on Russia, allowing the country to compete in next month’s European championship and other international tournaments, Russian Basketball Federation (RFB) said on Sunday.
“Russian national teams will be able to take part in all FIBA’s tournaments, however sanctions in relation to members of the RFB will still remain in place,” the Russian Deputy Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov told the R-Sport agency.
FIBA cited government interference in the running of Russian basketball’s governing body as the reason for slapping it with a ban. Yulia Anikeeva was elected the RFB’s president in August 2013, but the results of the vote were later contested and a court told the federation to hold new elections. These are due to take place on Aug. 25 and former NBA player Andrei Kirilenko is set to stand as a candidate.
With a talent base that includes Timofey Mozgov, possibly Andrei Kirilenko, Alexey Shved and Sergey Karasev, Russia still remains one of the world’s better national teams.
