Mexico City: The Mexican basketball federation was suspended by world governing body FIBA on Friday because of the national government’s interference in how the sport is run.
Mexico hopes qualify for the Olympics in a playoff next year, but will be banned from competing if the sanction stays in place.
The move comes as Mexico’s entire participation in next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is in question. That stems from a conflict between the government and several national sport federations, which are facing an inspection by a government agency to see how money is spent.
The International Olympic Committee opposes political interference in national sports bodies and recently suspended Kuwait from the Olympics.
The Mexico issue will be reviewed by the IOC executive board in meetings December 8-10 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
