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FIBA denies EuroBasket doping rumor; Macedonian media trash-talks Lithuanian counterparts

November 9, 2011

Though Team FYR Macedonia eliminated hosts Lithuania from the 2011 EuroBasket tournament in mid-September, a certain amount of talk-trashing about the match continues in the blogosphere.

Yesterday, FIBA was forced to do a bizarre bit of damage control after Lithuanian media – specifically, who else but powerhouse club sponsor Lietuvos Rytas? – reported that two players competing in EuroBasket had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs; the piece quoted representatives from the Lithuanian Anti-Doping Agency stated abnormalities had been found and that further testing would have to be done by FIBA on the samples of the two players.

FIBA Europe was quick to deny any such claims, however, soon releasing the following tersely-worded statement on the subject:

“FIBA Europe has dismissed media speculations which claim that two of the players participating in the recent EuroBasket in Lithuania returned a positive drug test.

“FIBA Europe has emphasized that any such news reports are without substance.

“FIBA Europe would have been the first to be informed about positive tests for banned substances during EuroBasket 2011, a tournament that has already been trademarked as one of the best and cleanest basketball events ever.

“On Tuesday, news reports sourcing in Lithuania and reproduced around Europe, were referring to two players who have been tested positive for banned performance enhancing substances during the EuroBasket.”

The lifespan of this rumor through the 21st-century hype cycle – from half-baked rumor to re-reportage online as fact to official denial to tapering off of tweets – with the speed of a fruitfly, and in the squall of commentary at least one Macedonian media outlet took quite the aggressive stance toward their Lithuanian counterparts.

In an English-language piece entitled “Lithuanian Media Still Upset over loss to Macedonia,” an unidentified Macedonian International News Agency (MINA) writer reinterpreted the gossip proliferation of yesterday somewhat freely.

The MINA piece, together with snarky comments provided by BallinEurope, follows.

“Lithuanian media, the same media who predicted their nation reaching the final, even printed tickets for the Spain match before their team even played Macedonia, is now claiming there were two basketball players using Steroids during the European championship in Basketball.”

(Wait a minute, Lithuanian media printed tickets?)

“Some people it seems, just can’t take a loss…”

(Oooh, zing.)

“The Lithuanian basketball federation had said nothing, but the media today claimed ‘for sure’ there were two basketball players using steroids. First it was two Macedonians, then [they] corrected themselves and now [it’s] one Macedonian and one Spaniard. Though frankly, Macedonians did request a doping test for Navarro (who couldn’t miss) as well as for the Greek referee who had 92% of his calls go against Macedonia.”

(BiE thinks that last part is meant to be ironic; either that or some people just can’t take a win.)

“FIBA issued a quick press release slamming the Lithuanian media for their speculative reporting because the international body had conducted numerous tests and all came back negative. FIBA went even as far as to say that was the ‘cleanest’ tournament ever.”

(Read the FIBA Europe statement, “…any such news reports are without substance.” Wait a minute … is that a play on words?)

“FIBA on its website refused to speculate which national teams or players the Lithuanian media referred to!”

(Perhaps because they’ve put the matter of Navarro and Bo McCalebb’s seemingly supernatural powers in the tournament into an X-file … incidentally, who ends a news story with an exclamation point?)

BiE believes the best solution in order to prevent a war of words between Macedonian and Lithuanian media/blogophiles would be to get them on the court. In such a venue, certain trash-talking might be more appropriate.

And gee, does BiE hope that the Luol Deng-to-Bizkaia Bilbao Basket story published on Krepsinis.net isn’t “without substance” as well!

Nov 9, 2011ballineurope
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Comments: 7
  1. Ivan Jovic
    13 years ago

    Macedonia really was a surprise, for everyone, I believe. Bo McCalebb played fantastic and they won the game against Lithuania… I don’t understand the media buzz afterwards. For the lithuanians, the game is lost, they should move forward. They were surprised by the macedonians.
    Sports regards,
    Ivan Jovic
    http://www.itsmyplay.com/staff/activity/26

    ReplyCancel
  2. J.J. Redick
    13 years ago

    This so-called “International News Agency” (MINA) is an amateurish website that seems to have no relation nor with objectivity or with accurate reporting.

    Their article mentions:

    ““Lithuanian media, the same media who predicted their nation reaching the final”

    “FIBA issued a quick press release slamming the Lithuanian media for their speculative reporting ”

    You will burst out laughing by reading what the same source had published during Eurobasket.

    http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/19076/50/

    “According to PRELIMINARY INFORMATION, an OFFICIAL from Greece’s Basketball Federation attempted to BRIBE FIBA referees Luigi Lamonica of Italy, David Chambon of France and Lithuanian referee Yurgis Laurinavicius
    […]
    FIBA had tried to keep this under the carpet, at least until the tournament is still ongoing, however a source within the organization had released it to LITHUANIAN MEDIA.”

    Arent they the same hypocrites who slammed Lithuanians yesterday for exactly the same things they did themselves during Eurobasket?

    Why then did they republished themselves SPECULATIONS from Lithuanian Media during Eurobasket and before anything was officially announced, if they consider it as bad reporting?

    Why then did they totally IGNORED themselves FIBA’s Press Release during Eurobasket who fined a person who was NOT official of the Greek Basketball Federation as the “News Agency” and nothing was officially announced about Bribery either, as they rushed to claim?

    The official statement issued by FIBA was embarassing for MINA’s unfounded claims.

    http://www.eurobasket2011.com/en/cid_4,w7QjPeH-M,ty138LH2l3.pageID_TMxceqSxIGkQKxVLshFZ-3.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2011.coid_GVLp4ocrHtMQIZMV6jZIs2.articleMode_on.html

    On 7th September, the Disciplinary Panel decided that Mr. Stavros Ellianidis was found to have behaved in an unsportsmanlike way. It was found that he had contacted three referees by means of telephone, mobile and/or SMS (text messages). These three officials were to officiate games in which Greece was involved.
    His accreditation has been withdrawn with immediate effect and he was fined € 15,000.

    I am stunned that there is around such biased reporting like the one of this “News Agency”. When anyone reads unfounded crap like the following, he realizes with what kind of people he has to do:

    “All three referees were said to be stunned by the offer and the fact that Greece would sink so low, refused the bribe and reported the case to FIBA’s headquarters.”

    There are plenty of articles on the net providing plenty of evidence about the fabrications of this “News Agency”.

    http://history-of-macedonia.com/wordpress/2009/12/19/mina-news-agency-a-major-embarassment-of-objectivity-and-truth-in-reporting/

    ReplyCancel
  3. Jack
    13 years ago

    McCalebb and Pau Gasol are the obvious suspicious ones.

    ReplyCancel
  4. John
    13 years ago

    There was no question the Greeks were bribing officials, FIBA said so themselves and came up with a ludicrous explanation that the Greeks simply attempted to bribe, but were not successful since they were reported…. so that makes it OK!?

    At any event, Macedonia was the biggest surprise in the tournament.

    ReplyCancel
  5. J.J. Redick
    13 years ago

    Even your own ludicrus claims contradict one another and justify totally my previous post.

    “FIBA said so themselves”

    Another unfounded lie? Where? If you make such a comical claim always provide the available evidence from valid, official sources. Not what you are being fed by MINA!

    “and came up with a ludicrous explanation that the Greeks simply attempted to bribe”

    Your hypocrisy is stunning. So that FIBA’s Press Release for MINA’s apologists is labeled as “ludicrus explanation”, while the yesterday’s one was valid and accurate, because it fit your political agenda!! Awesome!

    Can you even write a single line where you wont contradict yourselves and show your true colours? Seems not!!

    ReplyCancel
  6. sss
    13 years ago

    IT was big missnderstunding… The head of Lithuanian antidoping agency said, that some players results were above the norm (which doesn’t mean doping). And that what Lithuanian press wrote. But foreign press wrote that doping was found…

    ReplyCancel
  7. BISCAYNE
    13 years ago

    If McCalebb was on steroids they better check him up because he might be still using them 😀

    ReplyCancel
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ballineurope
13 years ago 8 Comments FIBA, MoreBizkaia Bilbao Basket, Bo McCalebb, doping, EuroBasket 2011, FIBA, FIBA Europe, Juan Carlos Navarro, Lietuvos Rytas, Lithuanian Anti-Doping Agency, Luol Deng, Macedonian International News Agency, MINA, Scandal, Team Lithuania, Team Macedonia
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