What fans need to know about Abu Dhabi ahead of Final 4

The Head of the Consular Office of the Greek Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Panagiotis Kougiou, was “hosted” on EOK WebRadio and spoke about the conditions that exist in Abu Dhabi, which will host the Final 4 of the Euroleague.

For conditions in Abu Dhabi: “The UAE is a very safe country. There are many direct flights from Athens to Abu Dhabi, the flight takes about 4.5-5 hours. It is hot during that period, so Greek sports fans should be prepared for summer. It is a multicultural country, with many nationalities, Emiratis are about 12% of the population. Greeks should keep in mind that they do not need a visa to enter the UAE, but a passport that does not expire before 6 months is required. If they travel at the end of May, their passport should not expire before the end of November. This is a strict condition. Because we have already started receiving messages from Greek fans asking about the trip and the conditions, there is no travel with ID. In general, Greek sports fans must have worldly behavior. Profanity and profanity are prohibited, so care should be taken in such matters. Also, there is tolerance for women’s clothing “musts”.

For the financial part in the area: “It depends on what everyone wants to do. One can spend money very easily since there are very expensive restaurants, but it depends. The prices are two to three times higher than in Greece. Hotels exist at different prices, and Airbnb possibly. There are flights to and from Dubai, beyond Abu Dhabi. Of course, the distance between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is about 1.5 hours by car. There are options when it comes to tickets.”

For the stadium where the Final-4 will be held, the “Etihad Arena”: “It’s an 18,000-seat stadium. It has hosted preseason games for NBA teams, in October the Boston Celtics played against the Denver Nuggets. It is on Yas Island, which also has amusement parks, an aquarium. It is a modern stadium that hosts UFC matches, concerts, they have experience in holding sports events. Formula 1 is also taking place on the same island this weekend.”

Regarding whether the organizers will need their cooperation as the Greek Embassy in case a Greek team qualifies for the Final-4: “It is very likely that there will be some meeting, some coordination in case the Emiratis want to spread some information they want to the Greek fans.”

For basketball interest in the area: “From the looks of it, there’s not that much interest. They have a national league which has 10 teams and started in 2013. Of course, there is Dubai BC which is participating in the Adriatic League this year and there is a lot of interest in basketball there. It must also be an occasion to develop the sport more in the country and the region. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is economically stronger in the country than Dubai.”