Geneva: Patrick Baumann, a Swiss citizen, 51-year-old General Secretary of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), died of a heart attack at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.
This was reported on the website of the organization, whose headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Basketball has lost its leader, defender and friend, and in this tragic time we want to express sincere condolences to Patrick’s wife and his two children,” the FIBA statement said.
Agency REUTERS quoted the words of Thomas Bach, who heads the International Olympic Committee: “We all are in a state of shock and at first did not believe this tragic news, so Patrick was an energetic and active person.”
One of the most notable public appearances of the deceased was last year's lobbying for American Los Angeles during the consideration of the official application for the 34th Summer Olympic Games of 2028.
Before his career as a FIBA leader, Baumann was a lawyer there, and before that, he played basketball professionally, and at the end of his sports career, he became a basketball referee.