South Asian Games 2016: Basketball dropped from the event

The 12th South Asian Games are currently underway in Guwahati and Shillong, with India leading the medals tally by a significant margin with the conclusion of Day 4 of the games.

It has now emerged, however, that organisers have cancelled the basketball event at the South Asian Games 2016; this follows a decision by the sport’s governing body FIBA to derecognize the event following what it described as “interference from the government and the Indian Olympic Association.”

FIBA also wrote to other nations participating in the Games, and in a collective letter the basketball federations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, hosts India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, suggested to those countries that they should not send teams to the Games.

Injeti Srinivas, the Director-General of the Sports Authority of India, said at a press briefing following the announcement that there had been an attempt to sort out issues, and that the Sports Authority of India had attempted to provide FIBA alternative solutions.

“….(we) suggested different options like going ahead with the event and give away medals without the results going into record books. But there was no response from some quarter. So we have decided not to go ahead with basketball. It will not be held now,” Srinivas said.

The event was due to begin on the 11th of February, and now stands cancelled with immediate effect.