London’s O2 Arena to Host Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in 2013

London’s O2 Arena will play host to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four as part of what wll be an exciting four game basketball competition in May 2013. 

The tickets go on sale this Friday, ed November 30 at 9am (GMT) and are available through the competitions official ticket website, vialis 40mg  www.f4tickets.com.

Euroleague has committed to hosting the season ending event in London in 2013, salve with an option to also play the 2014 edition at The O2 Arena, as part of a long-term strategy to commit to the development of basketball in the UK.

As part of the Final Four competition, Euroleague will host a Fanzone in Trafalgar Square throughout the duration of the competition. The area will include a variety of fun and engaging activities for fans from basketball exhibitions to music and entertainment.  In addition, the activity will provide a platform for Euroleague to promote the sport within the UK and promote grassroots initiatives in partnership with the British Basketball League (BBL).

The Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final is a three day championship event taking place from May 10-12 and it marks the finale of an eight month long competition involving the 24 top European teams. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase a four-game competition package: two semi-finals on Friday, May 10, plus third-place and a title game on Sunday, May 12.

Euroleague is Europe’s premier basketball competition and in the 12 years since it was established, it has grown to become the world’s second largest basketball competition after the NBA. The 24 teams compete across 12 major European cities and regularly host pre-season games against touring NBA teams.

Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, said: “Euroleague is thrilled to bring the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four competition to The O2 Arena in London. Through a combination of great basketball and fun activities like the Trafalgar Square Fanzone, we can’t wait to show the UK public the excitement and passion of our sport.

“We are currently in talks to establish a partnership with the BBL, where we also want to run an incredible CSR programme, leaving a lasting legacy with the hope that basketball in the UK will eventually be mature enough to have a team in the Euroleague competition.”

Matthieu Van Veen, Senior Vice President, AEG Sports (Europe), said: “We are very much looking forward to hosting the Euroleague Final Four competition at The O2 in May. The O2 has established itself as a major European competitor to host high profile sporting events – The Olympics, ATP Tennis and now Euroleague Basketball.”

Paul Blake, chairman, British Basketball League (BBL), said: “We are really excited about the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four coming to London and the opportunity it will present the sport of basketball in the UK. With a long term strategy, I hope to see a British team competing in the league in the future.”