Baku 2015 finalizes Basketball 3x3 line-up

By Nigar Orujova

Baku 2015 European Games confirmed the lineup of 16 men's and 16 women's teams that are supposed to compete at next year's inaugural event on October 8.

As host nation, Azerbaijan will be represented in both competitions. This comes as Ireland's women's team has made a great achievement by securing its country's first ever qualification for a major multi-sport event in Basketball.

In ranked order, the men's competition will be contested by Romania, Slovenia, Lithuania, Greece, Serbia, Belgium, Spain, Estonia, Israel, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy and Andorra.

The women's competition will see Russia, Slovenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Romania, Turkey, Switzerland, Ukraine, Spain, Ireland, Czech Republic, Israel, Greece, Slovakia and Azerbaijan going for gold.

Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015 Simon Clegg said: "As we continue to count down the days until the beginning of the inaugural European Games, it is an exciting moment to be able to confirm participating nations and teams for the sports.

"I would like to congratulate all of the athletes who have now guaranteed their country's participation in Basketball 3x3 at Baku 2015, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Games next year."

The Basketball 3x3 tournaments will take place over four days at the temporary Basketball Arena, with a capacity to host 2,000 spectators.

The game is played on a half-court between two teams and is estimated to be watched by more than 250 million players worldwide.

Director of Sport at Baku 2015 Pierce O'Callaghan said: "As one of the new and innovative sports included in our program, there will be a huge amount of interest in Basketball 3x3 and the competition will called the first ever European Games champions."

"The sport is one of the fastest growing one in the world, so we expect the viewers to be thrilled up by the games during the event," he said.

The first European games will take place from June 12 to 28, 2015. More than 6,000 athletes will compete in 20 sports over the 17 days next year. Most newspapers, websites, radio and TV stations across the globe are preparing to cover the games.

/AzerNews/