Lithuania, Turkey, Finland, Greece, Spain, and Slovenia are all suffering from a viral infection, FIBA announced. No changes to the U18 tournament calendar have been made yet.
The U18 European Championship in Nis, Serbia continues to face difficulties. After a debacle over playing conditions on the first day of the tournament, multiple teams now face health issues.
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Finland U18 NTFIBA has officially announced that 6 different teams are simultaneously suffering from a viral infection - Lithuania, Finland, Greece, Spain, Turkey, and Slovenia.
The severity of the issue hasn't been announced yet and no changes have been made to the competition's calendar.
FIBA's official announcement:
A number of players and delegation members from six teams have been showing symptoms of a viral infection. The teams affected are Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. The exact cause of the sickness and a diagnosis have not yet been established.
All of the affected are under constant supervision by team doctors and the local health authorities.
FIBA, the Serbian Basketball Federation, and the local organizers will continue to monitor the situation and will share any updates, including a possible decision regarding the game schedule, with all stakeholders accordingly.
FIBA wishes a speedy recovery to all persons affected.
Jonathan Givony from ESPN reports that FIBA has requested the players from affected teams to submit to blood testing. The organization has also sent officials to test the kitchen and the pool of the hotel where the teams are staying.
The journalist notes that each team has from four to six players affected by the virus. Players woke up suffering from fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, and were later escorted to hospital by ambulance, Givony writes.
During the first day of the tournament, teams faced harsh playing conditions in one of the two venues of the tournament after heavy rain and lack of air conditioning caused players to slip and fall multiple times with several players suffering injuries.
World-renowned ESPN journalist Jonathan Givony even faced backlash from FIBA for publishing a video about it. Ultimately, FIBA started an investigation into why the game between Poland and Turkey was continued despite harmful playing conditions.
