2022 EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade kitty

Article posted by Coliseum, March 10^th, 2022

Image: EuroLeague Basketball

The 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, which was due to be held in Berlin (Germany), is going to take place instead in one of the most iconic basketball cities in the world: Belgrade in Serbia. The showpiece event will be held at the Štark Arena in Belgrade.

The ‘EuroLeague Basketball’ stated that the Final Four dates have been changed, as well, with the semifinals to be played on May 19^th at 18:00 CEST and 21:00 CEST, while the third-place game and championship game will be played on May 21^st at 16:00 CEST and 19:00 CEST, respectively.

The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Europeanwide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition.

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The EuroLeague, known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for sponsorship reasons, is a European professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognized as the top-tier league in Europe.

The EuroLeague Basketball is the organizing body of Europe’s elite club basketball competition.

The 19,394-capacity Štark Arena, also known as Belgrade Arena, is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is designed as a universal hall for sports, cultural events and other programs.

The ‘EuroLeague Basketball’ further stated that four years after it successfully hosted the 2018 edition, where Real Madrid Baloncesto (Spain) lifted its 10^th continental title by defeating Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul (Turkey), the Serbian capital will once again welcome the Final Four. In doing so, Belgrade will join Barcelona (Spain), Madrid (Spain), Berlin (Germany), and Istanbul (Turkey) as the only Cities to host the event more than once this century.

The Euroleague Basketball and AEG agreed to postpone the holding of the Final Four in Berlin based on the current pandemic situation and health measures imposed in the German capital.

The decision was taken with the aim of giving EuroLeague fans the most likely opportunity to attend the event onsite while also guaranteeing the participating players’ access to the Final Four City. Germany health measures, if prolonged, would not allow a large number of fans to attend the Final Four and might even prevent some athletes from participating.

Maintained Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball CEO, “After much deliberating, we have taken what we consider to be the best decision for our fans and players. Our main goal is to respect the competition’s integrity and reduce uncertainty for all our stakeholders. Even while we understand the measures that any Government approves to minimize the impact of COVID-19, we could not put the participation of our players in the Final Four at risk.”

Added Bertomeu, “On the other hand, this will be just a postponement and we look forward to returning to Berlin. We couldn’t ask for a better alternative now than Belgrade, a City that is automatically identified with basketball. I would like to thank the Serbian Government and the Municipality of Belgrade for welcoming us, and we all hope that during the next-to-last weekend of May, the pandemic situation will allow us all to enjoy a thrilling Final Four once again.”

The magnificent Štark Arena will be the Final Four venue once again. Built in 2004, with a capacity of approximately 15,500 spectators for a Final Four configuration, it is one of the most popular arenas on the continent, having attracted a large number of the biggest and liveliest crowds in European basketball history to EuroLeague games over the last decade.

Remarked Goran Vesić, Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, “The City of Belgrade wishes to thank Euroleague Basketball for trusting us to host this year’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. This is a great victory for Belgrade, a City of sports, where the World Athletics Indoor Championship will be held next month. Belgrade has already hosted the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in 2018, which we believe was the best organized in the history of this competition. We will try to make this year’s tournament an even more successful one.”

Added Vesić, “The organisation of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four is not only important for the development and affirmation of basketball and sports in general, but also for the promotion of Belgrade as a European tourist destination. I am very proud to welcome all basketball fans who will land in Belgrade to witness such an important event, as we will have the opportunity to show them the true meaning of our main message ‘Visit Belgrade’. I once again wish to thank our Euroleague friends for trusting us!”

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