“If we go to the international site now, we will need to leave for another two or three years from this rust” – Kirilenko

The President of the Russian Federation of Basketball (RFB) Andrei Kirilenko believes that Russian clubs and teams will get used to the international level of game for about 2-3 years.

– The last four years – the most difficult, probably, in the sense that it is impossible to work as you think, because for almost five years, starting from the coronavirus period, players cannot go play with their peers. That is, for five years we have a failure in an international vein. This, of course, hits very much in sport quality, and we can come up with anything inside the country, do tournaments, some camps, but if you do not play in the international field, you will fail in sports. And even if now we suddenly go to the international site, I am sure that two or three years from this rust will need to be departed. This is all a game, this is a game story, you cannot be the best and become better if you do not play with the best players, ”Kirilenko quotes“ Soviet Sport ”.

In 2022, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus from participating in competitions under the auspices of the organization. The ban on participation is also valid at the club level.