Belgian Cats Hotel Evacuated During Basketball World Cup

The Belgian Cats and 14 other teams competing at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin were evacuated from their hotel in the middle of the night on Sunday after a fire alarm was triggered in the early hours of the morning. The evacuation, which lasted about 30 minutes, turned out to be a false alarm, with no fire found at the Radisson Collection Hotel in central Berlin.

According to Sporza, the hotel housing the tournament delegations sits near the iconic Fernsehturm (TV Tower) in the heart of Berlin. Only Team USA was not staying at the hotel, having opted for separate accommodation at the Ritz-Carlton.

A Night Interrupted

The fire alarm sounded shortly before 2 AM, sending players and staff from 15 of the 16 participating nations out onto the street in the middle of the night. Firefighters arrived on the scene and conducted a thorough inspection before confirming the hotel was safe, allowing teams to return to their rooms exactly 30 minutes after the evacuation began.

FIBA released an official statement confirming the sequence of events: “Today at 1:57 AM the fire alarm was triggered in the team hotel. In accordance with usual security precautions, all teams were calmly and orderly evacuated and gathered in front of the hotel. After a thorough check it was confirmed that there was no fire and that the hotel was safe.”

According to BILD, the alarm was triggered on the fifth floor near the fire escape stairs. The hotel has since apologized via a posted notice, urging guests to only press fire alarms in genuine emergencies. FIBA is currently investigating the circumstances of the incident together with the hotel and the Local Organising Committee.

Players Take It in Stride

Despite the disruption, the players responded with humor. Belgian Cats player Elise Ramette posted a video of the evacuation on Instagram with the caption: “2:04 AM. When the hotel is evacuated in the middle of the night, that’s the ultimate teambuilding.” Teammate Becky Massey commented simply: “I was sleeping so well.”

Massey later gave a more detailed account to DH/Les Sports+: “This was clearly not the best night. Suddenly the fire alarm went off and we all had to evacuate the hotel. At first we were told it was a test, then we found ourselves outside with the firefighters. Someone apparently pressed an alarm button on the fifth floor. We don’t know who or how, but fortunately it wasn’t a fire.”

Massey noted that it took about an hour to fall back asleep after returning to her room. “It’s frustrating, especially the day before a match, but we have to control what we can control,” she said.

The incident was also covered by RTBF, which noted that the Belgian team had the advantage of playing later in the day, while Australia and Turkey — also in Belgium’s group — had to face each other in the morning with significantly less recovery time.

World Cup Context

The disruption came as the Belgian Cats prepare for their second Group C match against Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon. Belgium opened the tournament with an 89-75 victory over Turkey on Friday, while Australia defeated Puerto Rico 70-54 in their opening game.

As Yahoo Sports reported, the alarm went off shortly after 2 AM local time, and all teams had to wait on the street until the all-clear was given. The US team, led by WNBA stars including Caitlin Clark, was the only delegation not affected, having arranged separate accommodation.

The Belgian Cats, reigning European champions, are seeking their first-ever World Cup medal in Berlin. They previously finished fourth at both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The team is led by star player Emma Meesseman and coached by American Mike Thibault.

What to Watch For

The timing of the evacuation could have implications for teams with early game schedules. While Belgium’s match against Puerto Rico is scheduled for the late afternoon, giving players time to recover, Australia and Turkey were forced to play in the morning on just a few hours of sleep.

The incident draws an interesting parallel: during the men’s EuroBasket, the German national team was also evacuated from their hotel in Tampere, Finland, due to a false alarm during the group stage — Germany went on to win the European Championship. Whether the Belgian Cats can turn this midnight disruption into similar success remains to be seen as the tournament progresses through September 13.