Jordan refuses to play Israel in youth basketball World Cup — reports

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

After weeks of speculation, Jordan’s national basketball team has informed the international basketball federation FIBA that it will not field a team to play against Israel today in the 2025 Under-19 Basketball World Cup, according to Hebrew media reports.

Israel will automatically gain a 20-0 technical victory over Jordan. It defeated Switzerland handily 102-77 last night in its first-ever U-19 World Cup game, while Jordan fell to the Dominican Republic.

“On behalf of the Basketball Association, I regret the decision of the Jordanian team,” says Israel Basketball Association chairman Amos Frishman, according to the Walla news site.

“I had hoped that the Jordanians would still come to play to show everyone that it is possible otherwise, especially during this time. I believe that sport is a bridge between peoples and cultures and not a political arena. I hope that in the future there will be no doubt about holding of these games.”

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