Five players from Azerbaijan’s Ganja basketball club were injured when an elevator fell at their hotel in Istanbul. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) turned down the club’s request to postpone its FIBA Europe Cup match as a result.
The elevator accident happened ahead of Ganja’s opening Group C match in the FIBA Europe Cup. The club was staying at a hotel arranged by host team Eroksport when the elevator fell, injuring five basketball players.
Ganja head coach Martin Knezevic said on social media that the injured players fell three floors but did not suffer serious injuries.
A day after the accident, Ganja lost 63-92 to Eroksport in a Wednesday match in Istanbul. Knezevic said that despite being unable to field several key players, his team had managed to cut the deficit to 10 points by the end of the third quarter.
The coach also pointed out that FIBA had disregarded the club’s request to postpone the match, thanking the federation with evident irony: “You are the best.”
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