Basketball
French basketball player may miss home Games due to transfer to Zenit
Newcomer “Zenith” Frenchman Thomas Ertel risks missing the Olympic Games in Paris due to the transition to the St. Petersburg basketball club.
On Wednesday, Zenit announced the signing of a contract with a 33-year-old defender under the 1 + 1 scheme. On Thursday, the French Basketball Federation (BBFF) issued a statement saying that Ertel did not notify the organization of the agreement with the Blue-White-Blues.
Ertel signed a statement at the start of France’s training camp in July stating that he had no plans to sign with a Russian or Belarusian club. If Ertel plays for Zenit, this obligation will not be met and the point guard will no longer meet the selection criteria for the next international competitions, including the Olympic Games, the BBFF said in a statement.
Previously, Ertel played for the French ASVEL, the Spanish Basque Country, Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as the Turkish Anadolu Efes. He is the silver medalist of the Tokyo Olympics, the vice-champion of EuroBasket-2022 and the champion of Europe-2013.
The Summer Olympic Games in Paris will be held in 2024.
Source: Sportbox
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