Honorary President of the VTB League Ivanov: ‘The suspension of clubs and the national team is a blow, a quick return does not seem real’

Chairman of the CSR Board and Honorary President of the VTB United League Sergey Ivanov said in an interview with that the withdrawal of Russian basketball players from participating in international competitions was a blow and that it should not expect a return in the near future.

In April, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) suspended the Russian team from participating in the selection for the 2024 Olympic Games and EuroBasket 2025. Russian clubs are also not participating in international tournaments due to the situation. in Ukraine.

– The withdrawal of Russian clubs and the national team from international matches is a blow. The VTB League, no doubt, will grow, but its expansion will require new teams, and where to find them? Participants must meet the requirements of modern basketball: a hall with five thousand seats, a sufficient number of television cameras for high-quality broadcasts, a minimum budget of 400 million rubles per year, protected by bank guarantees, and the Mandatory presence of a young team participating in the VTB Youth League.

A club that is unwilling or unable to support such a team in my lifetime will never be accepted into the VTB League. This is a concern for the future, because young talents can now be counted on the fingers of one hand. As for our suspension from European competition, a return does not look real anytime soon. Let’s say we’re back. How to fly? We will have to wait for the restrictions on flights to be lifted, otherwise there is nothing to talk about,” Ivanov said in an interview with .

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.