On the sidelines of the FIBA Europe General Assembly, organized this Friday in Munich, the election to the presidency of the governing body of basketball on the Old Continent saw Jorge Garbajosa being preferred to Jean-Pierre Siutat.
Jean-Pierre Siutat did not achieve his goal. President of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) since 2010 and with a mandate that ends in 2024, the former coach of Tarbes had set himself the ambition of taking the helm of FIBA Europe. After nine years at the head of the body managing basketball in Europe, Turgay Demirel has given up seeking what would have been a third termofficially becoming honorary president this Friday during the General Assembly organized this Friday in Munich.
To this end, the boss of French basketball had assured that he had planned to leave his functions at the FFBB for the benefit of his vice-president Jean-Pierre Hunckler, who would have acted as interim until the next elections scheduled for the end of the year. year 2024. However, competition was tough for Jean-Pierre Siutat as his only opponent was the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), Jorge Garbajosa.
Jorge Garbajosa has been elected as the new FIBA Europe President.
Voting for Board members still going on, more details to follow.
— FIBA Media (@FIBA_media) May 20, 2023
Garbajosa wide winner against Siutat
Indeed, the member of the Spanish team world champion in 2006 then Olympic vice-champion in Beijing in 2008 was the other candidate for the succession of Turgay Demirel. Despite a program highlighting a desire for rapprochement with the Euroleague while the conflict between FIBA Europe and the ECA, a private company which organizes the competition, Jean-Pierre Siutat did not convince the voters. Through a message posted on his account Twitter for the media, FIBA has confirmed that Jorge Garbajosa has been elected President of FIBA Europe.
According to daily information The team, it’s a slap that the boss of French basketball received during this election. In effect, Jean-Pierre Siutat received only fifteen votes against 35 for his Spanish counterpart. It will therefore be necessary to wait for a French leader to take in hand the destiny of European basketball for the first time.