“I am a citizen of a country that faced a similar problem” – Lukich on sanctions against Russian sports

The head coach Russian team Zoran Lukic in an interview with , he said that he plans to emphasize working with the national team on young players, not forgetting veterans. The specialist cited as an example Serbia, which had gone through a similar period in its time.

This week, FIBA ​​suspended the Russian team’s participation in the selection for the Olympic Games 2024 and EuroBasket 2025.

– Until Russia returns to world sport, does it make sense to attract venerable players to the national team or is it better to play youngsters?

– What does it mean – venerable? Let’s break it down by age. There is a group of veterans who have played for the national team more than once, but we have to look to the future. On Day X, when the Russian athletes are back, they have to be in a very good state of preparation. Of course, we remember the honored masters. But the main thing now is to attract young people as much as possible and to work to reveal their qualities. In principle, the national team is a group not of the best, but of the best who work, do you understand the difference? We will strive to get as much coverage as possible and assess how veterans can help the team.

I am a citizen of a country which, unfortunately, had to face a similar problem. The recent past of Yugoslav sports has not yet disappeared from memory, the Serbian team has also been there. Yes, it is an experience. Which I hope will also serve the Russian team,” Lukic said.

After being appointed as head coach in October 2021, Lukic has played five games with the national team – three official (against Iceland, Italy and the Netherlands) and two friendlies (against FMP Belgrade and Mega) .

Live broadcasts of VTB United League matches are available on and other TV channels of the holding, as well as on the websites sportbox.ru and matchtv.ru.