Members take FIBA Europe to court

The division in European basketball is undergoing yet another increase of activity, as FIBA Europe members have decided to take the whole organization and its Icelandic president Olafur Rafnsson to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Lithuania is one of the countries leading the stand against the current head of FIBA Europe, who is accused of not following the bylaws of the European basketball governing body.

"We're taking care of the last formalities, but I think the court process could start already in October," Mindaugas Balciunas, the general secretary of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF), told Delfi.lt.

In May, 28 of the 51 members of FIBA Europe signed a letter to Rafnsson, calling for an Extraordinary General Assembly, however no meeting was called within 60 days, as stated in the bylaws.

"We made an appeal against the FIBA Europe board, because it had no authority not to call the assembly, while the president is hiding," said Balciunas.

Alongside Lithuania, the national federations of Turkey, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine are the main powers behind the recent move.

"We would rather have these talks around the table, than in court, but the president has a different opinion. It's a unique case, where the president is ignoring the wishes of the majority of the members as well as the bylaws," Balciunas said.