October 16, 2018

By Sahr Morris Jnr

The late Patrick Baumann

Sierra Leone Basketball Association and the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone (NOC-SLE) have joined the rest of the basketball and sports world in mourning the sudden death of FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann.

Baumann, a native of Basel, Switzerland, who also severed as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, suffered a heart attack while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, supervising the competition in the Youth Olympic Games.

A condolence message from the NOC-SLE Secretary General, who also doubles as the country’s basketball association president reads: “We in Sierra Leone stand to mourn with the president and the membership of the Sierra Leone Basketball Association, the NOC and Ministry of Sports by extension for the tragic passing of the Swiss man, Patrick Baumann. RIP.”

The late FIBA Secretary General passed away at the age of 51. Meanwhile, the current operations of FIBA will be taken care of by the Presidency and the Management Team.

FIBA President, Horacio Muratore said: “On behalf of the entire FIBA family, I wish to express our deepest sympathies and pass on our condolences to Patrick’s wife, Patricia, their family and loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this very difficult time.”

Baumann was a Swiss national born on August 5, 1967, and he was a former player, coach and referee who first joined FIBA as a lawyer in 1994 and was appointed FIBA Deputy Secretary-General in 1995.

In 2002, he was unanimously appointed FIBA Secretary-General by the FIBA Central Board. As such, he became only the third FIBA Secretary General, after Dr. William Jones and Borislav Stankovic. Baumann officially started his term of office in 2003, a position he held until his death.