By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Germany will compete in the Olympic Qualifiers minus its major superstar Dennis Schroder. The German Federation announced that the Los Angeles Lakers guard won’t participate in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament due to the “enormous insurance requirements that can’t be met” in light of the player’s free agent status.
The announcement mentions that despite week-long efforts by both sides to guarantee that Schroder will have the necessary insurance coverage, an agreement wasn’t reached. The insurance fee was significantly higher than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s to my regret that the team will have to do without me in Split and I can’t support them. I’m convince that the guys will still make the Olympics and I’m already looking forward to the EuroBasket 2022 in Germany,” Schroder said, per the Federation.
Germany will face Russia and Mexico in Group A of the Split tournament while Croatia, Brazil and Mexico are in Group B. Two teams from each Group will advance to the semifinals and the winner of the tournament will get the ticket to the Olympics.
“We full understand Dennis’ situation and we have great respect for the demands placed on a professional athlete who is committed to the national team,” German Federation president Ingo Weis said. “We fought to the end to find a solution but unfortunately we couldn’t. We have to deal with that now and I’m sure that the team will now move even closer together for the common goal.”