The aftermath of last year:
The lack of spectators is something that directly impacts clubs. It impacts, of course, the image of the competition. It’s always a unique opportunity to play in front of fans, and this is why we’re quite pleased to do so during the Final 8 in Nizhny Novgorod.
Looking back at the season, we consider it a success because, during a difficult time, we were in a position to start and finish the season in the best possible manner, with all the games determined on the court and all the teams able to field their best players.
We applied a strict Return to Play protocol issued by the FIBA medical advisory group. That allowed us to work very closely with the clubs and the leagues. In the end, we’re happy to conclude the Regular Season and the Round of 16 and have the eight top teams travel to Nizhny to play the Final 8 in front of spectators. For us, it was a good opportunity to have this conclusion and to celebrate with the fans.
On potential changes in Return to Play regulations:
When it comes to fan attendance, this is very much linked to what the governments allow. We’re in constant communication with the relevant clubs and leagues across Europe to get a better understanding. We know this is an ongoing process, [but] this is not something we impact. It’s certainly something we follow.
On How BCL reacts to games between countries that ban travels from and to each other:
This is not very different from what we witnessed last year. There were many bans on traveling. We saw many sports federations work collectively in addressing this issue. You very often will have exemptions, specifically for sports teams, because they’re not typical tourists. We are aware that this happened last year, and we are conscious that it might happen this year again.
The aim is to have every game played in the best possible conditions. We need to be ready to react. Last year, for instance, we had a few games played on neutral grounds. This is something that is assessed on a case-by-case basis.