To the horror of the basketball players, a bed is found.
German basketball teams fail at the Olympic Games. Both men's and women's teams secure tickets for the move to Paris. But then, suddenly, there's no room for them in the Olympic Village. The outrage is big - now a solution has been found.
Both successful German indoor basketball teams will indeed live in the Olympic Village as planned after their move from Lille to Paris. The German Olympic Sports Confederation announced this. Previously, there had been discussions about whether the basketball players would be accommodated in a hotel because there might not be enough space in the Olympic Village. The problem has now apparently been solved.
The considerations had met with little enthusiasm from both teams, which have already qualified for the quarter-finals in Paris after two wins in two games in the preliminary round in Lille. "I am appalled. This is unbelievable. And that something like this comes out a day before our important game against France is simply unprofessional," said Armin Andres, vice-president of the German Basketball Federation and delegation leader.
Dorm or under the bridge?
The four German 3x3 basketball players, whose competitions are taking place in Paris, had already jokingly offered their indoor colleagues accommodation. "We'll all fit in with us, we'll make one big dorm," said Sonja Greinacher. DBB President Ingo Weiss had said, "I want the team to experience an Olympic Village and not sleep under a bridge in Paris." But that's no longer necessary.
"I've already seen the village at the opening ceremony, it was a bit different than here in Lille," Franz Wagner emphasized after the second group game against Brazil: "Of course, I'm looking forward to it." The men will play France in Lille later tonight (9 pm). It's about the group win, which is important to avoid top favorite USA in the further tournament. Dennis Schröder and Co. will then move to Paris on Saturday, where the men's quarter-finals will take place on Tuesday. The women will play their last group game against the USA in Lille on Sunday. For them, it's then off to the Olympic Village in Paris on Monday, where the women's quarter-finals will take place on Wednesday in the Bercy Arena in Paris.
The German basketball teams, having qualified for the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, will now reside in the Olympic Village as initially planned, following a solution to the space issue. Both indoor and 3x3 teams are looking forward to experiencing the Olympic Village, no longer dreading the possibility of sleeping under a bridge in Paris.
