Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I presume the Minister of State would have been aware, or at least Basketball Ireland would have made him aware, of the predicament it was in and what it was facing in terms of playing an international fixture and that it was being threatened with fines up to €180,000 if it did not go ahead with such a match. This is despite the fact the international governing body for the sport, FIBA, had taken a different stance with regard to Ukraine and Russia in 2022. In fact, Basketball Ireland was ahead of the game because it had indicated at that stage it would not play Russia ahead of the international body. However, in this instance, the international body was threatening Ireland with huge fines if it did not go ahead with a fixture that was scheduled against the team. Was the Minister of State aware of that and what action or support did he give to Basketball Ireland and the women being faced with this match?

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