One she later posted on her social media read, “We will kill your whole family. You will be afraid wherever you go.” The sender’s account name reportedly suggested a Turkish origin.

In a public response Maria called the messages “disgusting” and said there is “no place for this behavior in sports”. She also took the unusual step of congratulating the Turkish national team on their silver medal, stressing that the threats came from individual fans and not the players or the federation.

Her Instagram post said she would not let the abuse remain private and promised to make the identities of those responsible public: “Since you want to reach out to me privately, I will be sure to let the world know publicly who you are,” she wrote. She added that she was deeply disappointed that hatred over a basketball game could lead to such violent language directed at her family.