2023-08-21 15:35:00
The Belgian 3×3 basketball team, 4th in the Tokyo Olympics, was suspected of having set up fictitious tournaments between August and October 2019 to allow the Belgian Lions to collect the necessary points in the FIBA 3X3 ranking in order to be able to participate in the qualifying tournaments for the Olympics. In Tokyo, the Belgian team was represented by Team Antwerp, made up of Nick Celis, Rafael Bogaerts, Thierry Marien and Thibaut Vervoort.
Basketball Belgium, the Wallonia-Brussels Basketball Association and Basketbal Vlaanderen had contacted the sports fraud unit of the federal police and initiated an internal investigation which resulted in the suspension of the three players, who were banned from playing basketball in Belgium. There Federation also communicated the players’ suspension to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) which extended the suspension internationally.
“In view of the ongoing criminal investigation and the appeal procedure of a player against the suspension measure, the basketball federations wish to refrain from any further statement”, can we read in the press release.
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