Euroleague Basketball and Winline, one of Russia's leaders in online gaming, are celebrating the success of their partnership by extending it for three more years. Winline already had a year remaining on its current contract for online gaming rights in Russia, and so with the new deal will be a Euroleague Basketball partner through the end of the 2024-25 season.

The renewal will lengthen the relationship with Winline to six years as the company expands Euroleague Basketball's list of long-term partners. As such, Winline will continue to enjoy high visibility at Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAY EuroCup games and across the digital ecosystem of the competitions.

"We are very proud to announce this renewal agreement as it shows once again the commitment and confidence of our partners," Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball's Chief Business Officer, said. "Winline is a key player in the Russian market as they have experienced an outstanding growth in a very short period, positively impacting the popularity of basketball and the expansion of the Russian fanbase."

"We are proud and happy to support Europe's top basketball competitions," Timur Dzhumaniyazov, Winline's vice president of marketing and strategy, said, "and we are really excited and looking forward to the new chapter of our partnership with Euroleague Basketball."

Winline's commitment to basketball goes beyond Euroleague Basketball to a widespread presence in the Russian market that also features a select number of teams, including current EuroLeague participants CSKA Moscow, Khimki Moscow Region and Zenit St Petersburg. The cooperation between Euroleague Basketball and the top basketball brands in Russia is expected to help increase the popularity of basketball and grow the sport's fanbase in the country. Winline has experienced a 71% increase in awareness as a Euroleague Basketball sponsor during 2020.

Russia is one of Euroleague Basketball's traditional markets, with a long list of participating teams that includes reigning EuroLeague champion CSKA Moscow. Interest in Euroleague Basketball competitions has experienced a remarkable 17% growth rate in Russia since 2019.



Winline, Euroleague Basketball renew partnership until 2025

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Euroleague Basketball expresses its deepest condolences to the Olympiacos Piraeus basketball family on the passing on Monday of Konstantinos Angelopoulos after a long illness.

Mr. Angelopoulos is the father of the club's owners, Panagiotis and Georgios Angelopoulos. The deceased was one of the leading industrialists in the history of Greece.

"The Euroleague Basketball family is saddened by the passing of Mr. Angelopoulos, a leading businessman and the one who started a very successful journey for Olympiacos," Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, said. "My heartfelt condolence to his family and friends, and especially to his sons Panagiotis and Georgios."

Euroleague Basketball mourns Konstantinos Angelopoulos

Euroleague Basketball joins the family of French and European basketball in remembering with fondness Jean Bayle-Lespitau, the founding president of France's domestic league, the Ligue Nationale de Basket, who passed away on Wednesday at age 92.

Mr. Bayle-Lespitau, who helped create the LNB on May 6, 1987, went on to become a founded member of ULEB, the Union of European Leagues of Basketball, along with his counterparts in the Italian and Spanish domestic leagues, in 1991.

Mr. Bayle-Lespitau will be remember as a main protagonist in the professionalization and modernization of French professional basketball.

"Jean was an instrumental piece in the development of French and international basketball," Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, said. "He was one of the founders of ULEB, a very charming person, loved by all, and had an art for dialoguing and bringing people together. My thoughts are with his family and friends. He will be missed."

Euroleague Basketball mourns Jean Bayle-Lespitau

Euroleague Basketball is proud to support the One Tree Planted Amazon Rainforest initiative by donating to plant 4,000 trees to help relieve Amazon Rainforest deforestation.

This is the first direct action in Euroleague Basketball's new sustainability plan for the next 10 years (2021-2030), which will see the competition and its clubs continue to work together as a purpose-driven and socially responsible entity to expand their capacity to create positive sustainability impact in the communities where they operate.

With the aim of achieving over 6,000 trees planted before June 5, which is World Environment Day, Euroleague Basketball has joined forces with One Tree Planted, a non-profit environmental charity dedicated to making it easier for individuals and businesses to give back to the environment, create a healthier climate, protect biodiversity and help reforestation efforts around the world by planting trees.

Everyone willing to participate in this project to help the reforestation of the Amazon Rainforest can donate at https://euroleague.raisely.com – it works as simply as €1 = 1 tree.

With the initial donation of 4,000 trees, Euroleague Basketball and One Tree Planted will:
Create approximately 444 direct jobs on reforestation days.
Help 11 families of small farmers recover 11 hectares of degraded areas, 1 hectare per family.
Contribute to the increase of 11 hectares of habitats for endemic fauna, 11 hectares under protection against erosion, 4,800 trees and tree canopies for bird nests and for the production of nectar for bees.
Allow an estimated 6.9 tonnes of CO2 to be sequestered by the end of the first year, in the second year, sequester 110 tonnes of CO2, in the third year sequester 304 tonnes of CO2, in the fourth year sequester 857 tonnes of CO2, in the fifth year sequester 1,078 tonnes of CO2, in the sixth year sequester 1,382 tonnes of CO2.
Help reduce wildfires in the Amazon, by reducing the niches or breeding ground for forest fires that make up our reforestation areas.
Euroleague Basketball Chief Business Officer Roser Queralto said: "We are very proud to officially launch our sustainability strategic plan with this reforestation initiative as it is a tangible sign of our commitment to keep on driving positive change towards our communities. This strategic plan represents an evolution of the social responsibility commitment made by Euroleague Basketball, underlining our efforts to help restore the environment by expanding our sustainability scope."

More projects will follow this first action in the coming years as part of a bigger, integral plan aimed at making Euroleague Basketball an even more socially committed organization. This will lead our clubs on a joint business sustainability approach by which the impacts will be measured and challenges such as zero-waste operations and sustainable mobility around arenas will be tackled to bring direct improvement to our communities.

The mission of World Environment Day is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide to help restore the planet.

Euroleague Basketball supports One Tree Planted

Entries have now closed for the 2021 version of the FanXP Innovation Challenge, and 38 applicants have thrown their hats into the ring to take part in the biggest basketball startup competition in the world.

Those entries will now enter a review period by the jury panel, and the top ten will be selected to join a virtual final event in June. The identity of the finalists will be revealed on Saturday 29th May during the Basketball Innovation Summit, an online event coinciding with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

The members of the jury are Mathieu Lacome (Head of Research and Innovation at Paris Saint-Germain); Didac Lee (Galdana Ventures Co-Founder and former Board Member and Head of Digital at FC Barcelona); Jasmine Robinson (General Partner at Causeway Media Operations); Susanne Timosci (Global Lead Key Account at Bundesliga); Sree Varma (iSportconnect Founder & CEO); Luis Vicente (Group CEO at Eleven Sports).

With the aim of offering fans the best experience possible, the FanXP Innovation Challenge – staged in collaboration with N3XT Sports – challenges the latest generation of tech startups to join the sports fan revolution with creative and unique ideas.

N3XT Sports, a strategic consulting firm specialized in digital transformation, innovation, data, and investment strategy, will provide continuous advisory support throughout the FanXP Innovation Challenge.

Three more partners are supporting the competition. LaSource is a B2B agency based in Paris, focused on sport, digital and technology, helping startups expand their business. As sports organisations undergo a digital transformation, LaSource has created a model giving access to new innovative and digital solutions to meet with strategic objectives. LaSource puts its market understanding, experience and passion to bridge the gap between innovative startups and the reality of the sport industry.

SportsTechX is the number one source for data and insights about startups and innovation in sports. Its mission is to promote and grow the international sports technology ecosystem, working with investors and organisations in various industries, helping them with market analysis and connecting them with startups.

ThinkSport brings together a variety of sports-related expertise and excellence across Switzerland and beyond: from sport organisations, research and development institutes, educational bodies, businesses, health institutions and the public sector to international organisations and NGOs.



Entries closed for 2021 FanXP Innovation Challenge

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Meeting in Barcelona on Monday, April 26, the members of the ECA Shareholders Executive Board agreed on the following points:

- All 11 clubs are fully committed to their unity as the founding pillar of their collective property and are convinced that such unity has delivered success over the last 20 years.

- All 11 clubs remain committed in their vision of taking the necessary joint steps to continue building on that success, bringing the competitions to new heights.

- Euroleague Basketball will propose measures to further integrate all 11 clubs into the governance structure of all collective properties at the upcoming ECA Shareholders Meeting.

ECA Shareholders Executive Board meets in Barcelona (Apr 26, 2021)

A selection of 13 clubs of this season’s 7DAYS EuroCup met remotely to discuss and agree on a proposed new competition model which had been previously reviewed by the ECA Shareholders Executive Board.

The proposal includes:

- Participating teams: 20

A maximum of 16 teams will be awarded three-year licenses to promote stability and long-term planning.
A minimum of four one-year wild cards and/or rankings-based domestic league spots.
- Competition format: divided into two phases that aim at providing clubs with more guaranteed home games – maximizing their revenue opportunities and the excitement of the fan experience – while introducing knock-out phases that will deliver increased thrills:

Regular Season: two groups of 10 teams each in a round-robin format. First eight teams in each group to qualify for next phase.
Knock-out elimination rounds: eighthfinals, quarterfinals, semifinals and final, all played under a single-game format.
Champion and runner-up to qualify to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as per current regulations.
- Calendar: 2021-22 season to start by end of October 2021 and finish by mid/end of May 2022

-Governance and club operations:

EuroCup Board to continue to discuss and agree on competition strategies and policies.
Clubs to be integrated within Euroleague Basketball’s Business Operations and Club Services unit.
Euroleague Basketball to create a collaborative framework including all participating teams from the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.
The proposal will be presented at the upcoming ECA Shareholders Meeting for discussion and approval.

2021-22 EuroCup season to start under revamped competition model

Once again, a prestigious jury has been selected for the 2021 version of the FanXP Innovation Challenge, the biggest basketball startup competition in the world which is inviting entries now.

With the aim of offering fans the best experience possible, the FanXP Innovation Challenge – staged in collaboration with N3XT Sports – challenges the latest generation of tech startups to join the sports fan revolution with creative and unique ideas.

A vastly experienced six-person jury has been selected to ensure expertise and insight in the judging of the entries, which can be submitted until 30 April at https://fanxp.euroleague.net

The jury is: Mathieu Lacome (Head of Research and Innovation at Paris Saint-Germain); Didac Lee (Galdana Ventures Co-Founder and former Board Member and Head of Digital at FC Barcelona); Jasmine Robinson (General Partner at Causeway Media Operations); Susanne Timosci (Global Lead Key Account at Bundesliga); Sree Varma (iSportconnect Founder & CEO); Luis Vicente (Group CEO at Eleven Sports).

Lacome believes the event will be beneficial for everybody involved, saying: “The FanXP participation will be a massive boost for the startups, providing visibility, introduction to the relevant stakeholders, and insights about the needs and challenges of the clubs.”

Timosci echoed that view, adding: “Startup competitions such as this one are a great opportunity for startups to get exposure, get closer to the sports ecosystem and be in direct contact with the decision makers.”

Varma is excited to see the ideas presented, noting: “I joined the FanXP Innovation Challenge as a jury member because I love seeing the new creations and new ideas that are constantly popping up. It’s always amazing to see what the ‘next big thing’ could be.”

Any startup with a minimum viable product may apply to take part, and all applicants will receive free registration to attend the FanXP Virtual Pitch Competition.

N3XT Sports, a strategic consulting firm specialized in digital transformation, innovation, data, and investment strategy, will provide continuous advisory support throughout the FanXP Innovation Challenge.

Visit https://fanxp.euroleague.net/ to apply or contact fanxp@euroleague.net for more information.

Alongside the jury of experts, three more partners are supporting the competition. LaSource is a B2B agency based in Paris, focused on sport, digital and technology, helping startups expand their business. As sports organisations undergo a digital transformation, LaSource has created a model giving access to new innovative and digital solutions to meet with strategic objectives. LaSource puts its market understanding, experience and passion to bridge the gap between innovative startups and the reality of the sport industry.

SportsTechX is the number one source for data and insights about startups and innovation in sports. Its mission is to promote and grow the international sports technology ecosystem, working with investors and organisations in various industries, helping them with market analysis and connecting them with startups.

ThinkSport brings together a variety of sports-related expertise and excellence across Switzerland and beyond: from sport organisations, research and development institutes, educational bodies, businesses, health institutions and the public sector to international organisations and NGOs

Jury selected for FanXP Innovation Challenge

Jordi Bertomeu, the Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, met with Italian media on Tuesday alongside Massimo Zanetti, Virtus Segafredo Bologna owner, prior to Game 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals against visiting UNICS Kazan. Here is a transcript of their comments:

Massimo Zanetti Virtus Segafredo Bologna owner

Virtus belongs to the EuroLeague and we are working to make this possible next season. We wanted to participate this season but after last season cancellation due to COVID-19 pandemic we didn´t have the opportunity and it also affected on the plans to start the construction of the new Arena

Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO

Stability is a key point to build on for the future of our competitions because only with this stability, not always thinking about the concept of immediate sporting results, the last game or the last season, only by focusing on stability can we focus on this project in the medium and long term and stimulate this concept, but at the same time we have high standards for our clubs with respect to management. The question is how do you evaluate good management? It is clear that the sporting result is an objective way of evaluating it, but today I think it is important to evaluate the satisfaction that our fans have as a consequence of their experiences by attending matches. The game, the experience at the arenas, the experience watching the game on TV, on streaming platforms, on social media, because today sport is not like 20 years ago, the formula with which young people live sport today is very different.

It is clear that all industries and economic sectors have changed a lot in the last year and if we talk a little about the entertainment sector, we see that cinema, music or the editorial industries have changed a lot. Today the product, the promotion, the marketing and consumption have changed and it is not the same as it was 20 years ago. It is interesting to see that sport is still anchored on concepts created after the Second World War, with the principle of sports meritocracy, promotion and relegation…. We think it is time to look at all this in a different way. We cannot make a professional league based on the concept of winning at all costs, but must look for a concept of sustainability based on an efficient structure that gives a sustainable economy to clubs, a guarantee of the future, and which allows you to develop the project and bring home investments like the one we heard about a little while ago. Doing this without stability will be very difficult.

At this moment with COVID, a sad moment for everyone, it can also be an opportunity to think about the future of professional competitions and we are preparing a profound restructuring based on these principles that I spoke of before. It is clear that if we think about the future of the EuroLeague today in 10 years, it is unpredictable, but it will certainly be much more demanding each season. We cannot know if in four, five, 10 maybe 30 years the Euroleague will have 24 or 26 teams, but our job is to help the clubs to be ready to face this different reality that will be more demanding every time. The task of the clubs, on the other hand, will be to be ready, to work to develop a profound, professional structure that can face this reality which, as I said, will become more demanding every time.

And this is the reason why we think that today's EuroCup will be the EuroLeague of the future. This is why we want to work with this group of EuroLeague and EuroCup teams because sooner or later, they will all be part of the same reality. For this we need stability. I am not saying this in order not to give the right value to tonight's match, which is obviously very important for Virtus but also for UNICS Kazan, like the match that is now being played between Monaco and Gran Canaria, but you have to look at things in the perspective of time because we have had so many teams in the history of the EuroLeague that are no longer there. And we can't afford this again, and these are the general lines of what Euroleague Basketball is working on.

Before answering your questions I wanted to thank President Zanetti for the day we are experiencing today.

About the number of games and comparison with UEFA Champions League

From what I understand, the reform of the UEFA Champions League, to which you referred, goes the opposite way; the Champions League project consists of enlarging the championship because there are not enough matches for this level of quality. A team playing the UEFA Champions League Final plays seven home games at the end of the season, its fans have enjoyed only seven times the best competition on the planet. I don't believe that on this basis it is possible to do a minimally sustainable business. I don't think we will go in the future to have fewer games, but if anything to add games. I say this because if we have to make the choice of having matches with 10,000, 12,000, 14,000 spectators instead of matches with 2,000 or 3,000 spectators, I think the choice is obvious. The future of the EuroLeague - I am not saying next season or even the following one, so do not be scared - it will not be to remove games, but to add more. It is clear that the response of the fans with the presence in the stadiums and with the numbers of the TV sends a message: the EuroLeague matches are the ones they want to watch.

About the number of wildcards next season and a possible wildcard for an Italian team

There will be two wildcards next season.

No. We have clearly said that the natural path to get to the EuroLeague is the EuroCup, but we have to work particularly with the Adriatic countries, which is a very important territory for basketball. At this moment the entryway into the EuroLeague for teams from France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, is through the EuroCup.

About a possible increase in the number of teams participating in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

I think the three-to-five-year landscape is still unpredictable. We are working to have teams ready to play in the EuroLeague. Now the first goal is for 2023-24, to have 16-18 teams with a EuroLeague license, being part of the owners by the league as today we have 11 teams with FC Bayern Munich and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne most probably joining this list as we announced several weeks ago. This is our idea for 2023-2024, but it is not sure that we will succeed, because it does not depend only on us. The tasks must also be done by the clubs to have this structure of a League with stability. This is the concept we are working on for all teams.

About Virtus being a stable and sustainable team

Clearly, first of all, because for us Italy is an important country. The emotion I felt at the beginning of this speech has nothing to do with it. For us, France, Germany and Italy are strategic countries, countries for which we have a very important investment plan for the next three to four years. If you only want to look at Italy, it is obvious that its history is very important and we have huge respect for it, but we always look to the future and today Virtus represents an absolutely indisputable future.

Obviously, we have a task to do, us and the club, but this is what we will do in the next two or three years together, to ensure that the beginning of the building and the EuroLeague, everything goes with the same timing.

About teams with better arenas

The arena is the fundamental element to guarantee economic sustainability, because the arena allows you to make a much more balanced budget, much more rational, and allows you to enjoy, beyond the basketball matches, many other activities that are positive for the club's economy. Euroleague Basketball's outlook is very optimistic and positive because there are arena construction projects with a certainty of inauguration in Lyon, Munich and Valencia and there are projects in Milan and St. Petersburg, and I think there is one in Bologna. And we are talking about arenas between 12,000 and 16,000 spectators, so I think that in a reasonable time we will have a list of arenas that - I don't say will be NBA style because I don't think we need this, but they will be arenas of great quality and I think that we already have some now. If one goes to the Zalgiris arena, I think it is absolutely an NBA-style arena, and I believe that the others that will be built in the next few years will be based on the same concept.

About the current relation with FIBA

Relationships are good. Clearly, FIBA has a slightly different responsibility than we have, they have to take care of very important things for basketball such as the promotion of basketball, the development of young people. All of this is part of their responsibilities, together with the national team competitions, and we are in a much more precise and limited situation organizing the first two professional competitions at the European level: the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup. Relations are good. If there is the possibility of helping each other lately, we do it. A very simple example: we have the Final Four in Cologne. After that FIBA will make the EuroBasket in Cologne. So we are working together, we are helping them because our experience can be important for them too. Relations are peaceful. We do not have big common projects, but relations are good.

Euroleague Basketball's Bertomeu meets media in Bologna

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