As announced this week by the Competition Council, the association made this decision after meetings with the institution’s experts.
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The Competition Council received a request from the “Atletas Basketball Center” to initiate an investigation regarding the additional mandatory licensing criterion set by the Executive Committee of “Lithuanian Basketball” in mid-July for the 2026–2027 NKL season, which requires that at least 30% of the budget of all clubs wishing to compete in the league be composed of municipal funds.
Such an additional condition, adopted two days before the licensing deadline, according to the applicant, may discriminate against “Atletas” – the only club financed solely by private sponsors, which is blocked from returning to the second-tier Lithuanian basketball championship after two years.
After evaluating the circumstances stated in the request, the Competition Council informed the “Lithuanian Basketball” association that the application of the mentioned additional criterion may pose risks of restricting competition.
After meetings with the institution’s experts, the association removed the additional mandatory licensing criterion and maintained the previous licensing conditions, under which municipal funding for basketball clubs is not mandatory.
On August 11, “Atletas” was granted a license to participate in the upcoming NKL championship season.
Since the “Lithuanian Basketball” decision regarding the additional mandatory licensing criterion was valid for a short time and later revoked, the Competition Council decided not to initiate an investigation.
“Atletas” has faced issues regarding the right to compete in the NKL more than once, and the club waited two years for the right to return to the championship.
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The club was supposed to play in the 2024–2025 NKL season, but after the basketball federation took over the rights to organize the NKL and the licensing procedure changed, “Atletas” license was revoked.
As reported in the press, this decision was linked to a pre-trial investigation against the club for possible manipulation of match results and related negative public information.
In June 2025, the NKL decided not to license “Atletas” for the 2025–2026 season, a decision the club appealed in court.
In January this year, the Kaunas District Court annulled the NKL decision, noting procedural violations and stating that “Atletas” reputation met the required standards.
The NKL appealed this decision, but the appellate court rejected the appeal and upheld the first-instance ruling.
The NKL is the second-tier Lithuanian club basketball tournament, established in 2005.
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