Chemnitz hosts the 2018 European Basketball U20 Championships
Chemnitz will host the European Under-20 Basketball Championship next year. The German Basketball Federation (DBB) has been awarded the contract to organise the "FIBA U20 European Championship for Men 2018". The Board of the European FIBA awarded the event to Chemnitz at its regular meeting at the weekend before the General Assembly, which took place in Berlin this year.
Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "We are delighted that, following the table tennis championships in 2015 and the German road cycling championships this year, we are now able to host an international sporting event with the U20 European Championships in basketball - and in a sport that has caused quite a stir in the city in recent weeks."
Dr Micaela Schönherr, President of the NINERS: "We are absolutely delighted that the most important youth and national tournament after the adult European Championships is taking place in Chemnitz. We will be organising a real basketball festival." There will be a supporting programme for the European Championships, including streetball tournaments.
Sören Uhle, Managing Director of Chemnitz Business Promotion and Development Corporation: "Three quarters of a year of intensive preparatory work and marvellous teamwork have paid off."
During visits to Chemnitz, DBB and FIBA officials were impressed by the excellent infrastructure of the halls and hotels, as well as the enthusiasm of the people of Chemnitz for basketball. The city of Chemnitz has earmarked a budget of 100,000 euros to support the major sporting event. There will also be support from municipal partners.
The U20 European Championship has been organised since 1992 and has been held annually since 2004. It has never been held in Germany before. The exact date is still to be decided, but will be in July. 16 nations will then compete for the European Junior Championship title. From the participating teams and coaches to referees and officials, around 350 participants are expected in the city. The Arena / Messe Chemnitz, the Richard-Hartmann-Halle and the Schloßteichhalle training centre will be the venues. Up to four matches will take place per day.
TV partners from the participating countries will be reporting on the event from Chemnitz, including live broadcasts. The live streams of the last European Championships on the internet attracted around 1.2 million viewers.