Athens to host ’07 Final Four
Just months after Greece was crowned European basketball champion, Athens was yesterday granted the hosting of the Euroleague Final Four tournament for 2007, between May 4 and 6. The Final Four tournament, European basketball’s premier club-level event, has been staged in Greece twice before, in Athens in 1993 and Thessaloniki in 2001. «This development is a significant achievement for Athens. It is also a major victory for Greek basketball, whose national team holds the title of European champion,» Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyannis told a news conference ahead of a signing ceremony at City Hall with Euroleague’s chief, Jordi Bertomeu. Bertomeu spoke of Greece’s basketball tradition and the positive publicity generated by the Athens Olympics. «Greece is a basketball country, without a doubt,» Bertomeu said. «It is also true that the Olympics showed everybody the capability Athens and Greece possess to host such sports events.»
