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FIBA, the world’s governing body for basketball, banned Russian and Belarusian men’s and women’s teams from World Cup competitions in 2022 and ’23 in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the federation announced Wednesday.
FIBA’s executive committee made the decision to withdraw all Russian and Belarusian teams from international competitions through the end of 2022, which includes removing the men’s teams from the 2023 World Cup qualifiers. The Russian men’s team is currently ranked No. 15 in the world and was 3–0 in European qualifying play, with their last win coming over the Netherlands on Feb. 24—the same day the Russian army invaded Ukraine.
The Russian women’s team will also be forced to withdraw from the 2022 Cup, despite having already qualified for the event in Sydney this upcoming September. Puerto Rico will fill Russia’s place, according to FIBA.
All Russian and Belarusian teams have also been removed from various 3x3 international competitions, including the sport’s 2022 World Cup.
Additionally, the federation announced that there will be no FIBA-sponsored events in Russia or Belarus until further notice.
