By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The preliminary round of the 2024 Olympic basketball tournament is expected to move to Lille, changing venues with the handball tournament, according to L’Equipe.
Per the report: “The city of Paris is in favor of the proposal of the Organizing Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (OCOG) to organize the first week of basketball events at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille and to host in return the preliminary round of the hand in hall 6 of the Porte de Versailles.
After the refusal of the international basketball federation (FIBA) to play in hall 6, the city of Paris had expressed its wish that the basketball events remain in the capital. Paris deputy director of sports Pierre Rabadan said on Sunday that the solution envisaged by the OCOG was now suitable for Paris. “We saw that the potential rotation with the hand was the most logical solution to keep the cohesion of our project”, he explained. “We adapt the project to the constraints of the moment”.
Rabadan is thinking of the very strong budgetary constraints that weigh on the OCOG and, for him, it would be a good thing for Paris to be able to host the handball group stage. The final phases of basketball remain scheduled at Bercy and that of handball at Lille”.
Lille was also the host of the Eurobasket 2016 final phase, however, just last week FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis made a strong case about the venue which will be used for the basketball tournament with FIBA obviously preferring the basketball tournament to be held entirely in Paris. The final decision on the matter is expected on the 12th of July.