By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Patrick Hickey, the president of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), fully supports FIBA’s moves and the ban of the national teams from Eurobasket 2017, saying that there’s a need to stop private companies from trying to take over sport.
According to an insidethegames.biz report, Hickey states that: “I want to fully endorse the actions of Patrick Baumann. I have been flagging up the dangers for a while now about these profit-making organisations trying to hijack sport. If we don’t kill it now then it will get out of control. If we continue to ignore the situation then the next thing we will have are private organisations we have no control over trying to set up an alternative to the Olympic Games. FIBA are absolutely correct in the action that they have taken and we will back them to the hilt”.
It remains to be seen if this position means that if FIBA decides to ask for ban from the Olympic and Pre-Olympic tournamens, the International Olympic Committee will accept this demand.