Laurent Foirest has declined an invention to join France's preparations for the Additional Qualifying Round of the EuroBasket.

The veteran forward, a member of Les Bleus' silver-medal winning side at the Sydney Olympics who made 150 appearances for the national side, last played for his country at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and retired from international duty after that fifth-place finish.

Foirest, a statement by the French Basketball Federation said, did  not want to go on national team duty with his club season at ASVEL Villeurbanne in the Pro A and the Euroleague just two and a half months away.

The 35-year-old thanked France coach Vincent Collet, who is also his boss at ASVEL, for naming him in the preliminary squad.

France announced on Thursday that a niggling wrist injury had forced Mickaël Piétrus to pull out of the squad.