Jordi Bertomeu: "I’m glad to announce that the 2014 Euroleague Final Four will go to the city of Milan"

We are going to begin a new season, but before speaking of the new season, I have to say that we are finishing 2012-13 with bad news, with the loss of Olafur Rafsson, the President of FIBA Europe. A simple, kind, nice and generous person whom we will remember as a friend, and who left us too soon. Now, I would like to ask you now for a moment of silence in his memory. 

Thank you. 

A new draw, a new season, new clubs. New sporting projects added to Euroleague Basketball, new countries in which we will have a presence through the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, but also as a consequence of the expansion of the Eurocup. All of which means that European basketball is dynamic, that the clubs have the motivation and the ambition to offer their fans a great basketball competition. Despite the clouds that we sometimes see in the future, the reality is that in Europe there are clubs that want to continue growing and improving. 

We are re-enforcing our links with our commercial partners, our sponsors and our TV broadcasters. We are renewing agreements and are constantly thinking about how to improve. This, too, give us confidence in the future. 

We have developed in a spectacular way our CSR program, One Team. The 15 clubs committed to One Team have done extraordinary work in their communities all season long. We have had great support from our One Team sponsors, and in particular from our founding partner, Turkish Airlines. And next season we will have even more clubs, reaching more people in need and helping to integrate our communities through basketball. 

On the sports side, after a successful 2012-13 season with a new format in our Turkish Airlines Euroleague, we will analyze the impact of the new competition system in the different areas of our business and see its possible evolution in the future. We are sure next year will be even better. Our clubs and Leagues, have taken decisions in order to make that happen. Some changes in the game rules will help us make the game faster and more spectacular, as well as cleaner and fairer. 

And we will finish the season with our Final Four and I’m glad to announce that the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four will go to the city of Milan. 

There is a long path ahead us to get there, one in which the League and its clubs will work hard to offer all fans the best basketball in Europe. 

I want to thank all of our partners – our sponsors, our TV broadcasters and all media in general – for helping us grow the reach and popularity of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, and for making basketball a more global sport every day.