To Paris for gold - No start in indoor basketball for Olympic 3x3 champions
German 3x3 Olympic champions Svenja Brunckhorst and Sonja Greinacher cannot compete in the indoor basketball tournament after winning their gold medal. The duo, who had also qualified with the national team for the Olympics, missed the registration deadline. Head coach Lisa Thomaidis will lead the team with 12 other players, without the duo who were supposed to choose between the two disciplines before the Paris Games.
The 32-year-old Brunckhorst had said in a "Tagesspiegel" interview before the Olympics that she and teammate Greinacher would have liked to compete in both disciplines. She was particularly annoyed by the communication from the German Basketball Federation, which she described as "suboptimal".
Regulations would have allowed a double start
She emphasized: "If the federation had said from the beginning that it's not possible, it would have been okay." While there are understandable reasons why a double start would be difficult, the regulations would have allowed participation in both disciplines.
Parts of the national team and head coach Thomaidis were at the Place de la Concorde on Monday to cheer on the 3x3 women's team on the final night. With a 17-16 win over Spain, Brunckhorst, Greinacher, Elisa Mevius, and Marie Reichert sensationally won the gold medal.
Despite their gold medal victory, Svenja Brunckhorst and Sonja Greinacher from the European Union's national basketball team were unable to compete in the indoor tournament due to missing the registration deadline. subsequent post-Olympics discussions revealed the potential for regulations in the European Union allowing a double start in both disciplines.
