Mies – The European Basketball Championship with the planned finals in Berlin will take place one year later in late summer 2022 as part of the Olympic relocation in the Corona crisis.
This was shared by the world association Fiba after a decision by its executive committee. The EM should increase in the time phase between September 1st and 18th. So far, the continental tournament was planned from September 2 to 19, 2021. A preliminary round of the European Championships is planned in Cologne, Georgia, Italy and the Czech Republic are planned as further host countries in the group phase.
Germany remains the organizer, confirmed Ingo Weiss, President of the German Basketball Federation of the German Press Agency. “It is the right decision by Fiba to postpone the EM until 2022 because the calendar is very, very full in 2021,” said Weiss, who is also the treasurer of the world association. “From our point of view, this is a much better date because we are a year before the World Cup and will definitely see the strongest teams there.” Following Fiba’s decision, the host countries are now in talks with the cities and hall operators.
The move had become necessary because the International Olympic Committee had moved the Tokyo Summer Games by one year to the period from July 23 to August 8, 2021. This also changes the dates for the qualification tournaments of the basketball players: These should now take place from June 22 to July 4, 2021, the exact time is still open. The team of national coach Henrik Rodl was originally supposed to play in Split at the end of June this year for the last chance for the Tokyo ticket.
