Euroleague Final Four bound for Turin, Italy in 2011!

Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce that the Euroleague Final Four will take place in Turin, Italy in 2011, as one of the showcase events with which the city is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Italian state. The semi-finals and title game of Europe's top competition will be played at the 16,600-seat Palasport Olimpico in May 2011. As the host of the Winter Olympics just four years ago, Turin is a proven winner in organizing major multi-day sports events like the Euroleague Final Four. Its recent experience as host of the 2008 and 2009 Eurocup finals, at a different venue each year, has shows that the city is also well-versed in delivering basketball at its finest to thousands of visiting fans as well as a world-wide broadcast audience. Turin will be the 10th city to host the Final Four for Euroleague Basketball. The first of those was also in Italy, at Bologna in 2002, making Turin the country's second city to host the top event in European club basketball.

The 2011 Final Four was announced on Tuesday at a press conference in Turin, at which the following participants spoke:

Jordi Bertomeu, CEO, Euroleague Basketball: "It is a pleasure for Euroleague Basketball to be taking its signature event back to Italy and inviting fans to join us in the Olympic city of Turin. Anyone who has already visited here for the 2006 Winter Olympics or for our own Eurocup events knows that Turin is a host of the highest quality, whether we are talking about organization, facilities or the city itself. We look forward to working step-by-step with Turin to make 2011 a memorable year for both the Final Four and the city's anniversary celebration."

Ms. Mercedes Bresso, President, Italia 150 Committee: "I thank the Euroleague for having chosen Turin as the host city for the 2011 Final Four. Since the Winter Olympic Games in 2006, our city and region have become important centers for international sport. We believe that sport, besides its great educational value, has an extraordinary potential to help grow the economy and promote the region. In 2011 we will be in the middle of the celebrations for the 150 years of Italian unity and the many fans expected on the occasion of the Final Four will have the opportunity to rediscover a wonderful territory through plenty of cultural initiatives. For us it is an exceptional occasion, and we will work hard to host the teams, directors, fans and media in the best way possible."

Paolo Verri, Director, Italia 150 Committee: "It gives us great pleasure to host the Euroleague Final Four in Turin in 2011. Also that year Experienza Italia, the event to celebrate the 150th years of Italian unification, will take place in the city. The Final Four will be a wonderful occasion to show the best of our city and our country: we will prepare a special welcome for the teams coming to Turin and for the public too, with special tourist offers and occasions reserved for them. We will start the promotion from the Paris games of the 2010 Final Four and during all the year after that. I’m sure that in 2011 this will be an unforgettable event for all of us."

Paolo Bellino, General Director, Parcolimpico: "We must say thank you to Fondazione Torino Olympic Park, which in recent years has worked hard to gain the trust and estimation of Euroleague Basketball on the court by organizing, Europe´s second competition finals over two years. The Turin 2011 Final Four will be the first sport event organized from Parcolimpico after the new corporate organization."

Although he could not attend the press conference, Mr. Dino Meneghin, President of the Italian Basketball Federation, sent a welcome message that was part of Tuesday's announcement.

Dino Meneghin, President, Italian Basketball Federation: "In 2011, Turin has the chance to host one of the best Final Fours in Euroleague history. I can say it not only from the fact that I am the President of the Italian Basketball Federation, but also because I am fully aware of the magnificent way in which our friends in Turin manage the infrastructures inherited from the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. It is nice to see how Turin, the first capital of the Italian state, identified as the city of Fiat for many years, has been raised again to the world's attention by making sports the steering wheel of a cultural and business renaissance. I also would like to thank Mr. Jordi Bertomeu for choosing an Italian city as host of the 2011 Euroleague Basketball Final Four ."

Press release: Euroleague Basketball