But what is happening in Ukraine? On Wednesday March 19, the head of the Euro 2015 men's basketball organizing committee, Markian Lubkivsky, announced to the media in his country that Ukraine would not be able to organize the continental tournament due to the political situation. The same evening, FIBA Europe denied the news and assured that the competition would take place on Ukrainian soil.
Who to believe? Difficult to decide. “The information that Ukraine has given up on organizing Euro 2015 is not true. FIBA Europe has not received any request to this effect,” assured the governing body of European basketball on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, Markian Lubkivsky had explained very clearly: “I cannot imagine preparing for the European Championships in such difficult political and economic conditions. Hosting such a competition is a large-scale project that requires organization and a set of significant arrangements. Such projects require years of preparation and joint efforts of thousands of people to be successful.”
According to FIBA Europe, the Ukrainian leader's comments are his own. They would not be official and would not reflect the position of his Federation. A version supported by the declaration of Jean-Pierre Siutat, the president of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), quoted by AFP: “Sasha Volkov, my Ukrainian counterpart, has just called me. Today's rumor that Ukraine is abandoning the organization of Eurobasket 2015 is false.
The situation remains confused. Obviously, Ukraine will encounter immense difficulties in preparing for such an event in the uncertainty that surrounds its political future. Just as it could have difficulty completing the Lviv bid process for the 2022 Winter Games, a bid for which the file was submitted at the end of last week at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne.
Furthermore, it has just been confirmed that the meeting between Russia and Ukraine in the quarter-finals of the World Boxing Series (WSB) was maintained, despite the crisis between the two countries over Crimea. “This decision is based on the principle of the Olympic movement, according to which sport should always be managed outside of politics,” explains a joint statement.
“Both teams are in complete agreement in principle and AIBA/WSB is very pleased that this point of view is jointly respected,” the statement added. The AIBA has scheduled the quarter-final between the two nations for March 30 in Moscow while the return will take place on April 4 in Donetsk.
