The turmoil in FIBA Europe is reaching a climax, as what started off as an urgent removal of secretary general Nar Zanolin, could very well backfire against the FIBA Europe president Olafur Rafnsson, who initatied the sacking in the first place.
In the FIBA Europe General Assembly, which is taking place this weekend in Ljubljana, it was decided to call a conference for the elections of a new president, a new board and a new treasurer. The conference has to take place within the next sixty days, which could very well mean that European basketball will have a new government.
It is reported, that the majority of the countries voted in favor of new elections being held, with some of the major basketball nations Serbia, Turkey, Lithuania and Slovenia also being for the notion alongside 24 other countries.
“This situation was sparked by the recent events, which put politics ahead of the development of basketball,” Mindaugas Balciunas, the general secretary of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, reminded about the recent sacking of Nar Zanolin.
“The countries that want change see a totally different role for FIBA Europe. The process that has started today will be beneficial to European basketball,” Balciunas said.
The division in FIBA Europe stems from the recent plans by FIBA to overhaul the international competition system, which would have put the biggest emphasis on the recently transformed FIBA World Cup, with EuroBasket tournaments held every four years, instead of biyearly.
The General Assembly in Ljubljana was supposed to vote on the future of FIBA Europe, but the firing of Nar Zanolin changed the agenda and the vote was postponed.
