US official says Brittney Griner is in ‘good condition’ in Russian jail

Brittney Griner has met with a US official for the first time since the basketball star was detained in Russia over allegations she attempted to bring cannabis into the country.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price told CNN on Wednesday that an official from the American embassy in Moscow had met with Griner, who has won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.

“We were able to check on her condition, we will continue to work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly,” Price said. “Our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition and we will continue to do everything we can to see to that it she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal.”

Related: ‘My team said it was no big deal’: US basketballers on life in Ukraine and Russia

Without identifying Griner, the Federal Customs Service of Russia said earlier this month that a player had been detained in February after arriving at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on a flight from New York.

The 31-year-old WNBA star faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of bringing drugs into Russia. Griner’s arrest comes as the US places sanctions on Russia after Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine last month. Some have expressed fears Griner could be used as a bargaining chip with the US as tensions over the war in Ukraine rise.

Russian news agency TASS reported that Griner’s detention had been extended until 19 May in a hearing last week.

A person close to the situation confirmed to the Guardian that last week’s hearing was solely about Griner’s legal team challenging her detention, and not on the merits of the case, with the hope of getting her transferred to house arrest. The court’s denial of