Jean-Pierre Siutat has his eye on Europe. The president of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) and vice-president of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) announced in an interview with L’Equipe his candidacy for the presidency of FIBA Europe. “I’m running because I have the energy, I think I’m capable of changing things in Europe,” he explained on Monday 27 February. Aged 64, Jean-Pierre Siutat has been president of the FFBB since 2012. He is also first vice-president of FIBA Europe and a member of the FIBA board. The election for the presidency of the continental body, currently headed by Turkey’s Turgay Demirel, is scheduled for 20 May 2023. If he wins, the French leader would tackle the delicate task of resolving the conflict with the ECA, the body in charge of the Euroleague and Eurocup. “We have to get together for the calendars, the respect of the players, the referees,” he told L’Equipe. “I will put all my energy into it.” In the event of being elected president of FIBA Europe, Jean-Pierre Siutat would resign as president of the FFBB before the end of August 2023. The interim at the head of the national basketball body would then be assured by the vice-president, Jean-Pierre Hunckler, until an elective assembly in December 2024.
