Paris 2024 organisers have struggled to find a suitable venue to hold the some early fixtures following members of France’s Olympic basketball team criticising Hall Six of the Arena Paris Sud, which was the initial site for the preliminary round.

The Pierre-Mauroy Stadium in Lille has since become a contender to host these matches, but the senior FIBA official was critical of this as an option during the General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

FIBA is unsettled by the venue being 210 kilometres away from the capital, an estimated three-hour drive.

"We would like to express our concern for the position of the basketball athletes of the Paris Games," Zagklis told Paris 2024 officials including President Tony Estanguet.

"We respect the Olympic Games may no longer be able to offer conditions equal to the standard of the World Championships, which is in our case the FIBA World Cup.

"Everybody is ready to accept this because it is about the experience of the Olympics.

"It is about the Opening Ceremony, the Olympic Village [and] the feeling of belonging to the number one sport event on the planet."

Zagklis added: "We do not feel our athletes should be subject to the conditions we currently have on the table."

Zagklis also called for organisers to ensure the chosen venue is safe "during the hottest days of the summer" and that teams can recover sufficiently.

Poor ventilation was one of the concerns raised for Hall Six of the Arena Paris Sud along with the venue's nine-metre-high ceiling, which was going to be the lowest-ever for an Olympics.

"We believe our request is reasonable," the FIBA secretary general remarked.

"By working together, we can eliminate the current serious concerns about participation of the best basketball players in the Paris Games."

The multi-use Stade Pierre-Mauroy was one of the venues used at EuroBasket 2015, features a retractable roof and is already due to hold handball matches at Paris 2024.

Basketball is regarded as one of the most popular sports in France, but it would not be played in Paris, provided Lille received the green light, until the final days of the Olympics.

Paris 2024 President Estanguet responded to Zagklis by insisting that "everyone would like to play in the centre of Paris" and in the "best arenas and best locations", but that it was not always possible.

"We have to find solutions to adapt to maintain the level of ambition as much as we can with our budgetary limits," Estanguet, a the three-time Olympic canoeing champion, said.

Paris 2024's budget is at €4 billion (£3.4 billion/$4.2 billion), per Estanguet, but organisers have complained recently of inflationary pressures impacting their plans.

Estanguet assured the FIBA official that the sport remains "important" to France, following France's men's and women's side taking silver and bronze medals, respectively, at Tokyo 2020.

The medal matches for basketball are scheduled to be played at the 15,000-seat Accor Arena, which is also the home of gymnastics during the first week of the Games.

Francesco Ricci Bitti, the President of ASOIF, later remarked that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could "play the role of arbiter if there is no solution" to the row.

"I understand both positions, but at the end of the story, the IOC will take the lead and suggest what kind of solutions will be used for these Games," added the ASOIF President.

"Very quickly because it is already very late."