Eurobasket 2015 taken from Ukraine

The FIBA Europe board has today reached a decision on the future of Eurobasket 2015 and opted to remove Ukraine as the host nation for the tournament. The group met in Munich, Germany on Friday and decided to relocate the event in light of the ongoing troubles in Ukraine. The political issues in the country prompted FIBA to review the tournament earlier in the year, and the governing body of European Basketball said last month it would wait until a new board was in place before deciding.

Eurobasket 2015 was due to take place in the troubled nation, but it has become increasingly clear the Ukraine is in no position to host such a large sporting event. However, FIBA has declared interest in giving Ukraine preference for the 2017 Eurobasket tournament and is commited to promoting Basketball in the country by negotiating for that event.

As for the 2015 tournament, the bidding process will now be reopened with all European federations able to bid. The bid window will end on July 31st, while a final decision on the host for Eurobasket 2015 will be made by 30th September 2014. The board has previously said that there is no shortage of interested parties, with 16 nations said to have expressed an interest in hosting the event.