The contract for allocating the 2005 Final Four venue was signed by CSKA and Euroleague representatives today in Moscow, confirming that Moscow’s majestic Olimpiyskiy arena will host the 2005 Final Four. "This is an historic event," Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu said at the signing ceremony, "because it is the first time in European basketball history that the Final Four will be held in Moscow." The Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, stated that his city is committed to being the world’s basketball capital in 2005 and will do its best to help the Final Four become a great success.
Following the signature of the agreement, a press conference was held in the Olimpiyskiy arena, with the presence of the most important political and sports authorities in the country: Yuri Luzhkov (Mayor of Moscow), Alexander Gomelski (President of CSKA), Sergey Kushchenko (CEO of CSKA), Vladimir Churilin (Director of the Olimpiyskiy Arena) and Jordi Bertomeu (CEO of the Euroleague).
Gomelski said that the Final Four is a sign of the respect from the Euroleague. "Moscow gains more and more importance as a sports capital of Russia," Gomelski said, "and this is a great pleasure for everyone at CSKA." Kuschenko said that the organization of the Final Four was one of the parts of CSKA?s development program, started one season ago. "CSKA management has been demonstrating that it deserves to welcome the Final Four for more than a year," Kuschenko said.
Also at the press conference, Bertomeu said "this agreement has been possible thanks to CSKA, its management and also the support from the Moscow authorities." At the same time, he highlighted the past, present and future of the Moscow club: "CSKA combines tradition and forward-looking vision. These characteristics perfectly connect with the philosophy of the Euroleague. CSKA has always been in the elite of European basketball and today is a club with a more and more professional structure that is being consolidated."
The experiences of Bologna in 2002 and Barcelona in 2003 confirm that "the Final Four is the great basketball event in Europe, it is our big party and the meeting point for all those who love our sport. In 2005, Moscow will be the European capital of basketball, and we are very confident that the joint work between CSKA, the Moscow authorities and the Euroleague will allow us to organize a Final Four that Europe will not forget."
The Olimpiyskiy arena of Moscow, built on the occasion of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, will host the fourth edition of the Euroleague Final Four, being especially refurbished for this event. "It will allow all of Europe to see the hospitality and cordiality of the Russian people and the great potential for the future that this country has," Bertomeu added. "The Euroleague is very proud to be able to contribute to this."
Lastly, the CEO of the Euroleague remembered that "the Euroleague is not only taking care of the games, it also takes care of the clubs and the way they are organized. The Euroleague is an organization created by the clubs. It is a league of clubs, and the 24 clubs participating and their leagues are the ones that make the decisions. We think it is important that Russia has a strong national competition where the clubs are the protagonists and their owners are the ones who make the decisions. This is the reality in most of the European countries, this is the reality in the Euroleague, and so we encourage you to create a strong national league that will undoubtedly be the symbol of progress and future."
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