Basketball: Dickel suspended again, will miss three games at World Champs

New Zealand point guard Mark Dickel will miss the first three games of the basketball world championship in Japan after the international body today imposed a 10-day suspension for testing positive for cannabis last month.

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) convened a hearing on the eve of the world tournament to consider Dickel's case, which had already been ruled on last week by the New Zealand Sports Disputes Tribunal.

He returned a positive result after being tested during the Tall Blacks' series against Australia last month.

The veteran guard served a two-game stand down during New Zealand's pre-championship series against Qatar, but FIBA deemed that insufficient.

It decided Dickel should serve an "ineligibility sanction" from August 11-21, a period that includes the Qatar games retrospectively and the opening three games of New Zealand's world championships campaign in Hiroshima. That takes in games against Spain today, Germany tomorrow and African champions Angola on Monday.

Dickel can return to action for the fourth pool match against hosts Japan on Wednesday.

Basketball New Zealand acting chief executive Barry Wilson said he was disappointed with the sanction and the need for a second hearing.

"It must bring into question the status and validity of the New Zealand anti-doping process and the need for another hearing process here," Wilson said in a statement.

- NZPA