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BELGRADE, Oct.26 (Xinhua) -- Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, will host the 2018 EuroLeague final four basketball tournament, according to the agreement signed here on Wednesday.
The agreement was signed at the City Assembly between Mayor of Belgrade Sinisa Mali and the head of EuroLeague, Jordi Bertomeu at a ceremony attended by representatives of EuroLeague, city authorities, Serbian basketball players and presidents of two biggest clubs Red Star and Partizan.
The agreement confirms that the prestigious tournament in two years will take place at the 48,000 square meters multi-purpose indoor arena located in the capital of Belgrade with a seating capacity of more than 18,000.
Bertomeu, the president and the executive director of EuroLeague, said that the signing is a great thing for Serbian capital, because the organization of the final four basketball tournament will rank it among top European metropolises.
"Your capital city joins the list of spectacular metropolises such as Barcelona, Milano, Berlin, Athens, Moscow and Tel Aviv. I dare to say that the Final Four in 2018 will be the biggest sport event in Belgrade in this decade," he told a press conference.
Mali agreed that this will turn Belgrade into a center for sport in the region, and reminded that in past years the city had organized European championships in water polo, futsal and athletics.
This July, Belgrade Arena hosted the Rio de Janeiro Olympics qualification tournament whereas in 2005, it hosted the European Championship in basketball.
"Serbia is a land of basketball as well as the city of Belgrade. I promise that we will organize the best F4 tournament in the history," Mali said. Enditem
