Spain to look into team "trashing" Olympic village apartments after loss to U.S.

MADRID The Spanish basketball federation says it will investigate media reports that Spain damaged its Olympic village apartments following its loss to the United States in the London Games final.

The federation said in a statement that it hadn't received any "official" complaint regarding information published in the British newspaper The Guardian that the team had "trashed" its rooms after the defeat on Aug. 12.

It said it would "begin a process ... to clear up the facts regarding the incidents attributed to the selection's players."

The federation said Spain, which featured NBA players such as brothers Pau and Marc Gasol, is "an example of good behavior and commitment to the values of sportsmanship."

According to Lee Moran at the New York Daily News: "Manager Sergio Scariolo's team racked up more than $14,400 in damages to their two London 2012 rooms after the 107-100 loss, it was revealed Thursday. The exact nature of the damage has not yet been confirmed, but the Spanish media has condemned the actions as 'despicable' and 'disrespectful.'"

If true, this wouldn't be the first time Spain's national basketball team caused controversy at the Olympics. At the 2008 Games in Beijing, the team drew ire for being featured in an ad showing the players using their fingers to apparently make their eyes look more Chinese.