EuroBasket 2025 a milestone in Cyprus sports events, President Christodoulides says

EuroBasket 2025 is a milestone as regards sports events in Cyprus and a confirmation that a small country with big dreams can stand, as equals, alongside top European destinations, to plan, organise and inspire, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides has said.

He was speaking on 28 May, at an event on the progress of the upgrade of the Spyros Kyprianou arena for the EuroBasket 2025 and the agreement between the Cyprus Basketball Federation (KOK) and EKO for the new jersey of the national teams.

Noting the €15 million investment made by the Government for the upgrade of the “Spyros Kyprianou” stadium, he said that, already, there are requests from teams from other countries to use, for a fee, the stadium for their European and other obligations.

President Christodoulides noted that the organisation of one of the four groups of the final phase of the EuroBasket in Cyprus, “is a milestone” as regards the sporting events of Cyprus “with a multidimensional impact”.

“The investment we are making as state, the decision we made to financially support this major event is primarily because we approach it as an investment for the new generation of our country”, he added.

According to the President, it is an investment “that on the one hand strengthens the image of our country abroad and on the other hand creates new prospects for sport” and encourages youth to actively participate in sports.  At the same time, he said, the expected arrival of tens of thousands of visitors to Limassol and Cyprus in general, was an important strengthening factor for the local community, businesses and tourism activity.

He said that he has already invited the Prime Ministers of all the countries participating in the Cyprus group “to come to Cyprus to watch the games together”.

Cyprus will host the 2025 European Basketball Championship along with co-hosts Finland, Poland and Latvia. Fifteen matches will be held at the Spyros Kyprianou arena in Limassol, between 28 August and 4 September.

(Sources: CNA/PIO)