This abandonment of Hall 6 of the Parc des expositions de la Porte de Versailles in Paris is due "for technical reasons", according to a joint press release from the Paris Olympics organizing committee (Cojo) and the International Basketball Federation (Fiba). ), who will now look for a new room.

The Parc des Expositions, which was to host the preliminary phase of the tournament - the final phases being played at the Accor Hotel Arena -, with a ceiling of 9m, "among other things posed concerns in terms of lighting", according to a close source. organizers.

Looking for a room

The latest studies on this point "were not good", and there remained a high risk of dazzling players according to this source.

It is this crucial element that led to the abandonment of this site, a decline that the organizers considered difficult to envisage a few days ago.

Visitors leave the Versailles exhibition center, Hall 4 side, in Paris, October 10, 2003 JEAN-LOUP GAUTREAU AFP / Archives

The Cojo must now start looking for a new hall capable of accommodating 8,000 people, and of a satisfactory standard for one of the flagship sports of the Olympic Games.

A complex quest, "no fallback", not having been planned.

For almost a week, this hall of the Parc des Expositions, was deemed unworthy for the Olympics by several players.

Suddenly, relations were tense on this subject between the stars of the France team like Evan Fournier or Rudy Gobert, the International Federation (Fiba) and the organizers.

"How can we accept to see basketball, the most popular collective sport at the Olympics, being sent to the expo park? Ceiling too low, room not suitable", tweeted Evan Fournier, the back of the New York Knicks, the March 16.

Four days later, Utah Jazz pivot Rudy Gobert was ironic about the height of the room: "I'm not going to play in a room where I hit my head when I shoot, so it doesn't make sense. ."

A sling relayed by a former Minister of Sports, David Douillet, on March 19 on RMC: "It's a total lack of respect, it drives me crazy! (...) I find it crazy that we are doing Games at the discount."

Positions not necessarily well received at Paris-2024, which struggles to find a place for everyone, but whose scope, because of the pedigree of their authors, could hardly be ignored.

Utah Jazz French pivot Rudy Gobert dunks on the Dallas Mavericks floor during an NBA match on March 7, 2022 TOM PENNINGTON Getty/AFP/Archives

The discontent seemed to be shared within Fiba, which was nevertheless a stakeholder in this choice of room and had accepted this site more than a year ago, in December 2020, but under conditions.

Orléans or Lyon candidates

"We (had) been very surprised by the place," a source close to Fiba told AFP.

"The pitch of Paris was to tell us + Yes, it's special, but we are going to put all the means +."

Some within Fiba believe that the deal was not kept, that Paris-2024 did not keep its commitments, and that the problems were far from being resolved, in particular on the lighting.

"We agreed for 18 months to study the feasibility of the thing, but the work was not done quickly as we wanted, not with all the means on the table", regretted the source close to Fiba.

The Cojo now finds itself, almost two years from the start of the basketball events, without a room for the preliminary phase.

The cities of Orléans and Lyon have already applied, but for the moment no track is privileged.

Could this decision, quite unexpected, have a ripple effect and give ideas to other sports that consider themselves to be badly off?

Handball was relocated to Lille in December 2020, a decision that made some teeth cringe...

© 2022 AFP