Dutch basketball assoc. wants Rotterdam to host 2029 European championship group stage
The Dutch Basketball Association (NBB) is working with the Municipality of Rotterdam and companies TIG Sports and House of Sports in a bid to bring the group stage of the 2029 edition of the European Champions of Basketball to Rotterdam. The NBB reported that they have handed in an official bid with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
The tournament’s group stage will be hosted in four countries. Other bids to host the competition named “Eurobasket” are in Madrid, Spain, Athens, Greece, and Bratislava, Slovakia, among others.
It would be the first time that the Netherlands has hosted the men’s European Championships. The Netherlands hosted the European Championship for women in 1970.
The matches would be hosted in the Ahoy. Alderman for Sport at the Municipality of Rotterdam, Faouzi Achbar, said that the city has always had the ambition to host large sporting events.
“This event will bring thousands of players, officials, members of the press, and, of course, fans to Rotterdam. This would bring a lot of positive attention to the city,” he said in a statement.
If Rotterdam is chosen as one of the four locations, then people in the city will be able to watch a group of six countries compete in a group in order to advance to the final stages of the tournament. Some of the best Basketball players in the world including, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama will likely be playing in the tournament.
“We have been working hard on a responsible nomination in recent months. Now that all the figures have been calculated and the decision has been made, it feels like the next step in the incredibly strong growth that we are already experiencing,” Maarten Hoffer, the director of the Dutch Basketball Association, said.
He added that Basketball is the fastest-growing sport and that this event would inspire a new generation of players.
