Zanglis: “It is not necessary to hold Pre-Olympics on all continents”

The Secretary General of FIBA, Andreas Zagliswas made available to the media who were in Manila to cover it World Cup. Asked about the Pre-Olympic Tournaments which will take place next summer clarifying that although the ideal would be to share the four events across all continents, this is not mandatory and will depend on the countries that show interest in hosting the tournaments. Greece, we remind you, is seriously considering this possibility.

“It depends on the candidates and the decisions of the Board of Directors. This is the answer to that particular question. The regulations do not oblige us to “spread” the four tournaments. At the political level it would be good to “spread” them if we have nominations from several continents, but first of all we should see which nominations we have, as well as which conditions. It is important for us to have high-level conditions for the players. It’s something that will happen very close to the Olympics, as you understand. On this occasion, I would like to thank the IOC for the cooperation in the part of the time when the Pre-Olympics are held. We will see which nominations we will have and which conditions will be formed. Again, on a policy level, it would be good not to have all the tournaments on one continent, but it is something that is not entirely up to us. We must see“, he emphasized.

“The Pre-Olympics do not ‘have’ to be divided between each continent. It depends on the candidates. I want to be clear about something. In the last five years there have been no wild-cards, so you cannot enter a Pre-Olympic tournament by asking to host it. The 24 teams are set. From a business perspective, you can tell me this is not smart, but the Board is clear. We give priority to the racing part and not to the business part. We emphasize the competitive part and not the wild-cards and the teams that can enter the competition through the ‘window’. It remains to be seen which of the 24 teams will show interest in hosting the tournaments. It would be wise not to have all four tournaments on one continent. The committee will have to look at the playing conditions, the pitches, the experience of the players, the distances from the airport, all these factors we take into account. The decision rests with the committee. But these are the parameters we are looking at. It is not a rule that they must be held on different continents. I believe that for political reasons it should, but we will see how it develops».