Serbia player loses kidney at Basketball World Cup
Tuesday September 05 2023
Serbia's Stefan Jovic (R) and South Sudan's Khaman Malauach (C) compete for the ball during their FIBA Basketball World Cup Group B match at Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, suburban Manila on August 30, 2023. PHOTO | TED ALJIBE | AFP
Serbia's Borisa Simanic has undergone surgery to remove a kidney after being injured at the Basketball World Cup.
Simanic had an operation in a Manila hospital after being hit by a South Sudan player's elbow during a pool game on August 30.
Complications arising from the operation meant he had to have further surgery on September 3, when one of his kidneys was removed, the team said Monday.
Serbian team doctor Dragan Radovanovic said that they "expect and wish that after this operation, the postoperative course will go smoothly".
The incident occurred near the end of Serbia's first-round game against South Sudan, when Simanic was defending opposition player Nuni Omot under the Serbia basket.
Read: South Sudan win hearts, minds at World Cup
Omot caught Simanic with an elbow, causing Simanic to scream in pain and immediately wheel away.
The 25-year-old Simanic plays for Zaragoza in Spain.
Serbia play Lithuania in the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday.