Russian Basketball Team Under Fire for Posing as Colombia’s National Team 

The Colombian Basketball Federation announced on August 22 that it would formally take legal action after Russia’s independent basketball team was accused of illegally using the uniforms and name of the Colombian national team. The Russian independent team was playing in the city of Perm in the so-called Russian Friendship Cup, which is a local tournament created after the sporting sanction delivered by most sporting federations because of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The tournament in question included many Russian amateur teams that represented some national teams unofficially. In a statement, the Colombian Basketball Federation explained that it never allowed any of the Russian teams participating in the tournament to use the same uniform as its national basketball team. It added that it will take all measures necessary to set a precedent and prevent any similar situation from occurring in the future. 

Following the statement, Russian Basketball Federation President Andrey Kirilenko said during an interview on local media that the Russian basketball team that used the name and uniform of the Colombian national team did nothing wrong. Kirilenko, who is considered one of the greatest Russian players of all time and played on the NBA, said that the Russian team coordinated with officials of Colombia’s Ministry of Sports.

Kirilenko added that the Russian team even asked permission from the Colombian Federation through the proper communication channels to prevent any wrongdoing or issues with it. The former NBA player also detailed that he and the Russian Basketball Federation don’t have to deliver any formal apology as both of them “did everything correctly.”

On their Telegram channels, some Russian sports reporters said that the Russian team that posed as the Colombian one was one of the worst teams in the tournament’s history. They added that Russian social media users created dozens of memes of the team, which lost 155-52 against a local squad before being humiliated 109-56 against Venezuela.

While the team’s next game was going to be against the national team of Russia, it was officially canceled. About the situation, Kirilenko said that the cancellation happened because the team was so “disappointing” that the official schedule had to be revised to prevent such a disparity from taking place again. The federation’s president added that he and other officials have already revised the tournament’s format to guarantee a better show for fans by offering a more competitive and balanced competition.

Since 2022, Russia has been barred from almost every single sporting tournament around the world, with some Russian athletes being forced to compete without officially representing their country. The same situation happened during the last Olympic Games in Paris, with organizers arguing that the invasion of Ukraine was a violation of the Olympic Truce.