Basketball fans demand Balčiūnas’ resignation – widely signing the petition

The number of signatures collected by Wednesday afternoon exceeded 8.3 thousand.

Lithuanian basketball does not need excuses. It needs responsibility.
We, the undersigned Lithuanian basketball fans, community members, and all those who care about the present and future of Lithuanian basketball, are addressing the president of the Association “Lithuanian Basketball” Mindaugas Balčiūnas and the association’s governing bodies.

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We urge Mindaugas Balčiūnas to take political and managerial responsibility for the problems that have emerged during his leadership and to resign from the position of president of the Association “Lithuanian Basketball”,” reads the petition created by a user calling themselves the “Basketball Community.”

You can find the full petition, which has also raised more than 300 euros, here.

“You cannot attribute credit for victories to the system while passing the responsibility for defeats and problems to coaches, players, leagues, or individual employees. The leader is responsible for the people they choose. The leader is responsible for the strategy they implement. The leader is responsible for the organization’s priorities. The leader is responsible for whether the system works,” the petition continues, raising five demands:

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1. The resignation of M. Balčiūnas from the position of president of the Association “Lithuanian Basketball,” taking political and managerial responsibility for the current situation.
2. A public and detailed analysis of the Lithuanian men’s national team program and its management model.
3. A public explanation of the financial situation of the Lithuanian Women’s Basketball League, including the size of obligations, reasons for their formation, and a financial stabilization plan.
4. A clear long-term strategy for men’s, women’s, and youth basketball with specific, measurable goals and deadlines.
5. Greater transparency to the public of the Association “Lithuanian Basketball” decision-making, funding, and accountability mechanisms.

It should be noted that basketball fans’ signatures cannot remove M. Balčiūnas from the position of ALK president. Such a process can be initiated by M. Balčiūnas himself or members of the Association “Lithuanian Basketball.”

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