Eurobasket 2013

[Led00]

Congrats for small basketball countries for killing basketball. In the past, FIBA allowed naturalized players in national teams with the aim of satisfying the complexes of the undersized Filipinos. This new decision will have the same effect. Making international competitions lose all its sense.

Agree on the naturalized players issue. I hate that also and with weakening the competition and that issue we r gaining another club competition.

[pohani komarac]

Congrats for small basketball countries for killing basketball. In the past, FIBA allowed naturalized players in national teams with the aim of satisfying the complexes of the undersized Filipinos. This new decision will have the same effect. Making international competitions lose all its sense.

Well there is truth in this, but it's not like previus ones were going into difrent direction

I wouldn't have anything about 24 teams playing at Eurobasket, but not right now. In future if some more teams impruve why not, but for now that defenetley isn't case...on the other side this will speed up the proces. And there is no need to play more game, just need to make difrent shedule

[Mindozas]

More teams = more games = less NBA players

Actually there won't be more games. If system will be the same as in WC, one team can play 9 games at most (5 in group, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, final) = the same like in old system (3 in 1st round, 3 in 2nd round, 1/4, 1/2 and final).

However, 24 teams is too much, more uninteresting and most probably meaningless games will be played and it all decreases whole prestige/quality of the tournament.

[Franz]

Simply a means of helping out the big market teams (i.e. Italy, England, ect.).

24 is way too much but if it means ending the wildcard system for world tournaments, then I'm for it. Of course, Eurobasket will lose quality and prestige.

On another note, I'm getting the idea that there will be 16 teams in 2012 and 32 in 2014 with this move.

[ArnoldPettybone]

They better do all of us a favor and just cancel it all together and move to a 4 year format. Should have done that years ago.

[JGX]

Is UEFA dumb to make Euro every four teams with 16?

Won't it be 24 teams starting in 2016?

I agree this is a stupid move. And knowing FIBA, the tournament format will probably be something like this:

First group stage: 3 groups of 8 teams. Nobody is eliminated and standings are only used for seeding the second group stage.
Second group stage: 4 groups of 6 teams. Only the last-place teams are eliminated.
Third group stage: 2 groups of 10 teams. Bottom two teams in each group are eliminated. 16 teams remain.
Knockout stage: 10-minute games for extra randomness!

[rikhardur]

FIBA – Expanded EuroBasket a good development for the game

MUNICH (EuroBasket 2013) - The hotly-contested EuroBaskets that have thrilled fans over the years are about to become a lot more interesting.

FIBA Europe have decided to expand the field from 16 to 24 teams in 2013.

It is a move that echoes the past, when FIBA increased the number of teams from 16 to 24 for the hugely successful 2006 FIBA World Championship.

FIBA Secretary General and IOC member Patrick Baumann applauded the decision to have a EuroBasket with more teams.

“It’s a good move in that it can help to avoid the scenario of last summer when you had two quality teams like Italy and France playing each other for the final berth. Ideally you would like to have both those teams playing in the EuroBasket with the rest of the best basketball countries in Europe,” said Baumann.

“It’s also good for up-and-coming federations whose national teams now have a better chance to compete at the most important European competition.”

The decision to expand is a testament to the popularity of the EuroBasket.

More and more federations, fans and players are champing at the bit just to have a chance to compete in the glamorous tournament.

And to understand why, just consider what happened last year at the EuroBasket in Poland.

While three traditional powerhouses reached the semi-finals - Spain, Greece and Serbia - along with a fourth established top-flight team, Slovenia, it was the play of some less fashionable teams that truly captured the imagination of those watching.

Great Britain almost upset world champions Spain in Group C, for example, while the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia and their awesome travelling fan base made a hugely impressive run and only barely missed out on a spot in the quarter-finals.

Both teams had to go through extremely difficult qualifying campaigns just to make it.

At EuroBasket 2007, Portugal beat Israel and effectively prevented them from reaching the Quarter-Finals.

Even when Lebanon played and beat France at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, it was another example of a David slaying Goliath.

Increasing the field and bringing in more national teams should increase the television audience for the tournament in eight new countries and help fuel interest in the sport.

FIBA Europe say there will no longer be a Division A and Division B.

A competition schedule does exist, but has yet to be approved by FIBA Europe’s competition commission.

Czech Republic Basketball Federation vice president Jiri Zidek, a former national team star with the country, has applauded the change.

"I think it's a great idea to increase the number of teams that will participate in the EC, and also go away from the division of European national teams to group A and B," Zidek said to FIBA.com.

"Of course, it is really welcomed by the Czech basketball community in light of fact that we went down to Division B last summer.

"But I believe this should be viewed as a positive step by all federations because once again, Europe will be united on the field of European Championships with all the countries being able to show their fans qualification games for the European Championships.

"It will be great to find common ground with the clubs in search for room for the national team competitions during the club season calendar.

Portugal coach Moncho Lopez also welcomed the expansion.

Lopez, who guided Spain to a silver medal at EuroBasket 2003, told FIBA.com: “This is fantastic news for Portugal. I think we now have more chances to qualify for the EuroBasket 2013.

“Above all, this move from FIBA Europe is a boost for the Portuguese players who aim to appear in such important competition.

“This event is the showpiece of European Basketball that everyone wishes to take part in.”

Newly-elected FIBA Europe president Olafur Rafnsson said the change was needed.

"The growth of our sport in Europe means that the level of play across the continent has improved and we believe that now is the time to expand the tournament," he said.

"Expanding from 16 to 24 teams is an important step in allowing basketball to continue to flourish."

FIBA Europe's Secretary General Nar Zanolin also backed the move.

He said: "This system allows all of our teams to take part in a meaningful competition every year."

It's easy to understand why there are so many teams that want to take part in the Final Round.

Just consider what happened last year at the EuroBasket in Poland.

While three traditional powerhouses reached the semi-finals - Spain, Greece and Serbia - along with and a fourth established top-flight team, Slovenia, it was the play of some less fashionable teams that truly captured the imagination of those watching.

Great Britain almost upset world champions Spain in Group C, for example, while the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia and their awesome travelling fan base made a hugely impressive run and only barely missed out on a spot in the quarter-finals.

Both teams had to go through extremely difficult qualifying campaigns just to make it.

At EuroBasket 2007, Portugal beat Israel and effectively prevented them from reaching the Quarter-Finals.

When Lebanon played and beat France at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, it was another example of a David slaying Goliath.

Increasing the field and bringing in more national teams should increase the television audience for the tournament in eight new countries and help fuel interest in the sport.

A larger field should mean that a team like Italy, one of the continent's most famous sides, has a better chance of competing and not missing out as happened last year.

Then again, with teams like Finland, Montenegro and Georgia becoming ever more competitive, a national team like Italy will not be able to relax if it has to go through qualifying.

Don’t think that the expansion game is going to stop here.

Because of growing demand, the FIBA World Championship could be expanded in the coming years from 24 to 32 teams although Baumann doesn’t have a precise timeframe in mind.

“The thought of potentially expanding to 32 teams is something that has been around for quite a few years now, but you have to remember that we only just went from 16 to 24 teams in 2006,” said Baumann.

“We need to play a few tournaments with 24 teams before we know if it’s a good idea to expand.”

What FIBA will be monitoring is the level of competition all over the world.

For there to be 32 teams, there cannot be a huge gulf in difference between the top seeds and the lowest seeds. The tournament has to remain competitive.

“If the level of competition increases in Africa, for example, then there is more of a case to be made for the enlargement of the tournament,” Baumann added.

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/40247/arti.html

[Alyosha12]

Well i think this all but ensurers that Slovenia won't get the bid for Eurobasket 2013 because of our infrastructure.

If anyone want to support the slovenian bid for Eurobasket 2013 there is a facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/EuroBasket-2013-Slovenia-Bid/256741352098?ref=ts

[pohani komarac]

Well i think this all but ensurers that Slovenia won't get the bid for Eurobasket 2013 because of our infrastructure.

If anyone want to support the slovenian bid for Eurobasket 2013 there is a facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/EuroBasket-2013-Slovenia-Bid/256741352098?ref=ts

wasn't there posibility of croatia ans slovenia biding togheter? 24 teams makes that solution realistic

[Alyosha12]

wasn't there posibility of croatia ans slovenia biding togheter? 24 teams makes that solution realistic

Yeah but that would be crap IMO, because Slovenia would only have 1 venue all the rest would be in Croatia. If that happens better just let Croatia have the full tournament, you are still close so i'm not to disappointed.

But i'll be sooo pissed if France or Italy gets it.

[Luíz for 3]

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro would be a great joint bid (like they did for 2010 WC) but 5 qualified teams as host isn't realistic, in spite of the increase from 16 to 24 teams in EuroBasket.

Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia are the best potential bids for 2013 in my opinion.

[elaj]

Slovenia and Italy are the only countries which officially declared their bids for Eurobasket 2013. The decision which country among those two will get the organization, will be given out on FIBA Europe assembly in November or December 2010. (source: Slovenian Basketball Federation)

Our people said the cost for organizing such event would be around 5.9M€, of which they want our government to give 1.2M€. If government says yes, there are no obsticales not to organize this in Slovenia...

[pohani komarac]

Croatia had to drop bid for eurobasket because our federation didn't have money to pay garante

[Picek]

Our people said the cost for organizing such event would be around 5.9M€, of which they want our government to give 1.2M€. If government says yes, there are no obsticales not to organize this in Slovenia...

except of the hall..
or would the entire championship be played in Tivoli and Stožice?
hall in Celje is for handball, can they make it a basketball hall?
is there any other 5000+ hall in Slovenia?

[elaj]

except of the hall..
or would the entire championship be played in Tivoli and Stožice?
hall in Celje is for handball, can they make it a basketball hall?
is there any other 5000+ hall in Slovenia?

Tivoli, Stožice and Celje Arena are good enough for this event, while they are planing to renovate and add more capacity to arenas in Koper and Maribor.