Basketball-FIBA clears Australia of World Cup deliberate defeat

Nov 27 (Reuters) - Basketball Australia have welcomed the results of an investigation that cleared them of deliberately losing a game at the World Cup in September. Basketball's world governing body FIBA opened disciplinary proceedings against Australia over suspicions they had thrown a game against Angola in order to avoid meeting the United States in the quarter-finals. In the event, the Boomers never made it that far and were eliminated by Turkey in the first knockout round. "Basketball Australia welcomes the overnight release of the FIBA investigation into Australian violations," it said on its official website (www.basketball.net.au). "Basketball Australia is fully supportive of FIBA's principles of fair play and ethical behaviour and will continue to advocate these throughout the Australian basketball community." The allegations had sparked a furious response from Basketball Australia, who said the claims were "insulting to the Australian sporting culture". FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann said in a statement Australia had been cleared of violating internal regulations. "As one of our most active national member federations across men's, women's and youth basketball, we know we can count on Basketball Australia to wholeheartedly endorse the principles of fair play and ethical behaviour outlined in FIBA's Code of Conduct and Fair Play." (Writing by Peter Rutherford; Editing by Julian Linden)