JAKARTA - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach claims to have reached an agreement with the board of the NBA team owners and the NBA Players Association (NBPA) regarding cutting season duration to give players the opportunity to appear at the Tokyo Olympics next year.
"The team owners and the NBPA have agreed to hold a shorter season starting December 22," Bach said at a press conference quoted by Antara from Reuters on Thursday morning.
"It will give the best basketball players the opportunity to appear at the Tokyo Olympics," he added.
Bach admitted that he welcomed the news because according to him it also represented the wishes of the players and the interests of the Olympic committees of various countries.
"This is what the players want. This could also be what the Olympic committees of the member countries want. That's great news," he said.
The NBA and NBPA have just announced a new 2020/21 season agreement starting December 22 and only played 72 games per team throughout the regular season.
That number is less than the 82 matches played in previous seasons.
The cut is projected to complete the 2020/21 season before mid-July.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were due to be held last summer, were postponed to July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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