Dear Fans,

I want to thank all of you for the passion and commitment that you continue showing Euroleague Basketball in the most difficult situation we have lived in our 20-year history.

Letter to fans from Jordi Bertomeu

Dear Fans,

I want to thank all of you for the passion and commitment that you continue showing Euroleague Basketball in the most difficult situation we have lived in our 20-year history.

Since the very first moment when the COVID-19 virus arrived to Europe, we have taken this issue with the maximum seriousness and meticulously following the instructions of national and regional governments, as well as those of the relevant global authorities. This has led us to take unpopular decisions including playing games behind closed doors or relocating games that damaged our most precious treasure, the fans, and ultimately the escalation has forced us to temporarily suspend our competitions to protect participants and fans as well as to contribute to the efforts that our communities are making to fight the global pandemic altogether.

Our games will be suspended until at least April 11, 2020 and we remain committed to deliver an ending to what has been an outstanding season so far.

If the entire situation has brought anything good, it is more evidence that the Euroleague Basketball family is a unique community that everyone can feel very proud to belong to.

We will continue serving you with content from our competitions across euroleague.net and official social media platforms, where you will also find further updates on the COVID-19 situation. We will also work in close partnership with our rightsholders to entertain fans who find themselves in an unusual situation.

We hope that we can count a “win” and that the competitions can be resumed as soon as possible. Euroleague Basketball will continue monitoring the situation on a daily basis, as our Medical Officer works in partnership with public health experts to ensure that this occurs when the environment is safe to do so. Meanwhile, we encourage you to follow all precautionary measures that are recommended by your public health authorities and the World Health Organization to prevent the spread of the virus as much as possible.


Best regards,
Jordi Bertomeu
President & CEO
Euroleague Basketball

Euroleague Basketball has been closely monitoring the latest developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, namely the consideration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the outbreak is a pandemic, the increased risks for all participants in games, the increasing restrictions of movement across Europe, the vast amount of traveling disruptions causing the impossibility to reach certain destinations, and the different recommendations by the health authorities that may be helpful to prevent the spread of the virus.

Euroleague Basketball competitions suspended

Euroleague Basketball has been closely monitoring the latest developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, namely the consideration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the outbreak is a pandemic, the increased risks for all participants in games, the increasing restrictions of movement across Europe, the vast amount of traveling disruptions causing the impossibility to reach certain destinations, and the different recommendations by the health authorities that may be helpful to prevent the spread of the virus.

**Jordi Bertomeu's letter to EuroLeague fans**

As a consequence of the above it has become impossible to maintain the regularity of the competitions, and in order to preserve the health and safety of the participants and fans, Euroleague Basketball in agreement with its clubs has taken the decision to temporarily suspend all 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup and Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament games until further notice.

Euroleague Basketball will closely monitor any further developments to verify whether they allow the suspension to be reverted.

Euroleague Basketball is constantly monitoring the situation including WHO (World Health Organization) and national administration announcements and recommendations towards the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Euroleague Basketball is also in continuous contact with all 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup teams that are or may be affected by this exceptional situation.

Game changes due to COVID-19

Euroleague Basketball is constantly monitoring the situation including WHO (World Health Organization) and national administration announcements and recommendations towards the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Euroleague Basketball is also in continuous contact with all 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup teams that are or may be affected by this exceptional situation.

The Euroleague Basketball competitions will maintain their regularity to the maximum degree possible, ensuring that the home club provides safe and secure conditions for all participants.

**March 12, 2020 : Euroleague Basketball competitions suspended**

Euroleague Basketball has been closely monitoring the latest developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, namely the consideration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the outbreak is a pandemic, the increased risks for all participants in games, the increasing restrictions of movement across Europe, the vast amount of traveling disruptions causing the impossibility to reach certain destinations, and the different recommendations by the health authorities that may be helpful to prevent the spread of the virus.

As a consequence of the above it has become impossible to maintain the regularity of the competitions, and in order to preserve the health and safety of the participants and fans, Euroleague Basketball in agreement with its clubs has taken the decision to temporarily suspend all 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup and Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament games until further notice.

Euroleague Basketball will closely monitor any further developments to verify whether they allow the suspension to be reverted.

**March 12, 2020 : Euroleague Basketball evaluating temporary suspension of its competitions**

Following last night's declaration by the World Health Organization that the COVID-19 virus is now a pandemic, Euroleague Basketball has initiated a consultation with its clubs to temporarily suspend its competitions (Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup, Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament).

The decision will be communicated later today.

**March 11, 2020 : Milan-Olympiacos game to be played at Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin**

The AX Armani Exchange Milan-Olympiacos Piraeus game for Round 29 of the 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season has been rescheduled to be played at Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin on Friday, March 13, 2020, with tip-off at 20:45 CET. The game will be played behind closed doors. Accredited media, except International Feed TV production company personnel, will not be allowed to access the game.

**March 11, 2020 : Euroleague Basketball games in Italy to be relocated**

Euroleague Basketball has been forced to temporarily suspend the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games in Italy at least until April 11 and to relocate those games to other territories.

The following games, which were scheduled to be played in Italy during this period, will be moved to alternate arenas outside of Italy:

* AX Armani Exchange Milan EuroLeague Regular Season Round 29 against Olympiacos Piraeus.

* AX Armani Exchange Milan EuroLeague Regular Season Round 32 against LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne.

* AX Armani Exchange Milan EuroLeague Regular Season Round 34 against CSKA Moscow.

* Segafredo Virtus Bologna EuroCup Quarterfinals Game 2 against AS Monaco.

* Umana Reyer Venice EuroCup Quarterfinals Game 2 against Unicaja Malaga.
Euroleague Basketball will communicate the final venue of each game during the following days.

The evolution of the situation will continue to be monitored with the relevant international and national authorities, as well as with the clubs, and any changes to the above measures will be communicated in due course.

**March 10, 2020 : ALL GAMES**

After consulting with Euroleague Basketball's Medical Officer, and to guarantee the safety and security of participating players and coaches, the following protocols have been established:

* Locker room access for accredited media has been cancelled until further notice for all Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games.

* Mixed zone access for accredited media has been cancelled until further notice for all Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games.

* A minimum distance of 1.5 meters between players/coach and media representatives must be maintained at press conferences.

* Euroleague Basketball recommends that all media availabilities held one or two days before each game take place at the press conference room with at least two players and the head coach attending, and respecting the minimum distance of 1.5 meters between players/coach and media representatives.


**March 10, 2020 : EuroLeague Round 29 affectations**

The Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv-Kirolbet Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz will have limited seating capacity to 2,000 spectators. Accredited media will be allowed to access the game.

The Real Madrid-Crvena Zvezda MTS Belgrade game will be played behind closed doors. Accredited media, except International Feed TV production company personnel, will not be allowed to access the game.

The FC Barcelona-Zalgiris Kaunas game will be played behind closed doors. Accredited media, except International Feed TV production company personnel, will not be allowed to access the game.

**March 09, 2020 : LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Zenit St Petersburg to be played behind closed doors.**

The LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Zenit St Petersburg game for Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season will be played behind closed doors. Accredited media will be allowed to access the game.

**March 4, 2020 : Valencia Basket - AX Armani Exchange Milan to be played behind closed doors**

Due to the Spanish government's prohibition on fans attending professional sports events involving teams coming from regions considered to be at risk of COVID-19 transmission, Euroleague Basketball confirms that the Valencia Basket-AX Armani Exchange Milan game for Round 28 of the 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season will be played behind closed doors on Thursday, March 5, at 21:00 local CET time, as scheduled.

To guarantee the safety and security of participating players, coaches and referees, to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and to maintain the regularity of the competition, no individuals – including fans, VIPs, nor additional club staff members – will be allowed access to the arena. Only the minimum necessary individuals – including players, coaching staff, referees, unified scorers, TV production company personnel, arena operations staff and medical staff – will be permitted access to the arena. Euroleague Basketball will continue to monitor the situation in all countries where Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games are being played.

**March 4, 2020 : Darussafaka-Virtus EuroCup game to be played in Stark Arena**

The Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul-Segafredo Virtus Bologna game for Round 6 of the 2019-20 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 has been rescheduled to be played in Stark Arena, Belgrade on Thursday March 5 2020, with tip-off at 18:15 CET. The game was suspended by Euroleague Basketball due to the impossibility for the away team, Segafredo Virtus Bologna, to enter into Turkish territory.

At the request of the Serbian Health Ministry, the game will be played behind closed doors to guarantee the safety and security of participating players, coaches and referees, and to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

**March 3, 2020 : EuroCup game Monaco-UNICS to be played behind closed doors**

The AS Monaco-UNICS Kazan game for Round 6 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 will be played behind closed doors.

Euroleague Basketball has taken this decision based on regulations applying World Health Organization and national administration guidelines that are currently in place in the Principality of Monaco and after consultation with Euroleague Basketball's Medical Officer. To guarantee the safety and security of participating players, coaches and referees, to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and to maintain the regularity of the competition, the home team has set special health security protocols for the game. No individuals – including fans, VIPs, nor additional club staff members – will be allowed access to the arena. Only the minimum necessary individuals – including players, coaching staff, referees, unified scorers, TV production company personnel, arena operations staff, medical staff and journalists – will be permitted access to the arena. Euroleague Basketball will continue to monitor the situation in all the countries where Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games are being played.

**March 3, 2020 : Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul-Segafredo Virtus Bologna EuroCup game suspended**

The Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul-Segafredo Virtus Bologna game for Round 6 of the 2019-20 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 has been suspended due to the impossibility for the away team, Segafredo Virtus Bologna, to enter into Turkish territory.

Euroleague Basketball has taken this decision due to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs restricting access to the country for any individual that has travelled to Italy during the previous 14 days. Euroleague Basketball is in the process of evaluating alternative arenas in other countries as well as alternative dates to reschedule the suspended game. The details will be announced in the coming days.

**March 1, 2020 : Milan-Real EuroLeague game, Brescia-Reyer EuroCup game to be played behind closed doors**

The AX Armani Exchange Milan-Real Madrid game for Round 27 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season and the Germani Brescia Leonessa-Umana Reyer Venice game for Round 6 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 will be played behind closed doors.

Euroleague Basketball has taken this decision based on regulations applying World Health Organization and national administration guidelines that are currently in place in the Lombardy Region of Italy and after consultation with Euroleague Basketball's Medical Officer. To guarantee the safety and security of participating players, coaches and referees, to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and to maintain the regularity of the competition, the home teams have set special health security protocols for the games. No individuals – including fans, VIPs, journalists nor additional club staff members – will be allowed access the arenas. As a result, traditional media availability activities surrounding the game have also been cancelled. Only the minimum necessary individuals – including players, coaching staff, referees, unified scorers, TV production company personnel, arena operations staff and medical staff – will be permitted access to the arenas. Euroleague Basketball will continue to monitor the situation in the Lombardy Region.

Following last night's declaration by the World Health Organization that the COVID-19 virus is now a pandemic, Euroleague Basketball has initiated a consultation with its clubs to temporarily suspend its competitions (Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup, Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament).

The decision will be communicated later today.

Euroleague Basketball evaluating temporary suspension of its competitions

Euroleague Basketball is constantly monitoring the situation including WHO (World Health Organization) and national administration announcements and recommendations towards the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Euroleague Basketball is also in continuous contact with all 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup teams that are or may be affected by this exceptional situation. Euroleague Basketball has been forced to temporarily suspend the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games in Italy at least until April 11 and to relocate those games to other territories.

Euroleague Basketball games in Italy to be relocated

Euroleague Basketball is constantly monitoring the situation including WHO (World Health Organization) and national administration announcements and recommendations towards the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Euroleague Basketball is also in continuous contact with all 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup teams that are or may be affected by this exceptional situation. Euroleague Basketball has been forced to temporarily suspend the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games in Italy at least until April 11 and to relocate those games to other territories.

The following games, which were scheduled to be played in Italy during this period, will be moved to alternate arenas outside of Italy:

* AX Armani Exchange Milan EuroLeague Regular Season Round 29 against Olympiacos Piraeus.

* AX Armani Exchange Milan EuroLeague Regular Season Round 32 against LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne.

* AX Armani Exchange Milan EuroLeague Regular Season Round 34 against CSKA Moscow.

* Segafredo Virtus Bologna EuroCup Quarterfinals Game 2 against AS Monaco.

* Umana Reyer Venice EuroCup Quarterfinals Game 2 against Unicaja Malaga.

Euroleague Basketball will communicate the final venue of each game during the following days.

The evolution of the situation will continue to be monitored with the relevant international and national authorities, as well as with the clubs, and any changes to the above measures will be communicated in due course.

The AX Armani Exchange Milan-Real Madrid game for Round 27 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season and the Germani Brescia Leonessa-Umana Reyer Venice game for Round 6 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 will be played behind closed doors.

Milan-Real EuroLeague game, Brescia-Reyer EuroCup game to be played behind closed doors

The AX Armani Exchange Milan-Real Madrid game for Round 27 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season and the Germani Brescia Leonessa-Umana Reyer Venice game for Round 6 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 will be played behind closed doors.

Euroleague Basketball has taken this decision based on regulations applying World Health Organization and national administration guidelines that are currently in place in the Lombardy Region of Italy and after consultation with Euroleague Basketball's Medical Officer. To guarantee the safety and security of participating players, coaches and referees, to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and to maintain the regularity of the competition, the home teams have set special health security protocols for the games. No individuals – including fans, VIPs, journalists nor additional club staff members – will be allowed access the arenas. As a result, traditional media availability activities surrounding the game have also been cancelled. Only the minimum necessary individuals – including players, coaching staff, referees, unified scorers, TV production company personnel, arena operations staff and medical staff – will be permitted access to the arenas. Euroleague Basketball will continue to monitor the situation in the Lombardy Region.

The 10 finalists for the Euroleague Basketball 2020 Fan XP Innovation Challenge met in Barcelona on Monday through Wednesday with each of the start-ups eager to impress the jury with their cutting-edge ideas. The 10 finalists all met the challenge's stated goals of offering solutions to create the best fan experience possible in one of three fields: broadcast-related fan engagement; in-arena fan engagement and/or smart arena solutions; and fan engagement through digital platforms.

Edisn.ai wins Jury's Choice, SeatServe chosen for best pitch

The 10 finalists for the Euroleague Basketball 2020 Fan XP Innovation Challenge met in Barcelona on Monday through Wednesday with each of the start-ups eager to impress the jury with their cutting-edge ideas. The 10 finalists all met the challenge's stated goals of offering solutions to create the best fan experience possible in one of three fields: broadcast-related fan engagement; in-arena fan engagement and/or smart arena solutions; and fan engagement through digital platforms.

The first day allowed the finalists to receive mentoring sessions with Euroleague Basketball executives to get first-hand insights from the elite sports sector, private networking opportunities to connect with sports/basketball professionals and jury members.

Barcelona's Roca Gallery hosted the final pitches, which were followed by a pair of panel discussions. The first one was centered on “Disruptive Innovation” in Sports and was formed by Stina Lundgren from the Stockholm School of Economics; Miguel Angel Heras, Head of Marketing and Communication at Roca; Jordi Farré, CEO at Kamleon and Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Senior Director, Marketing and Communication at Euroleague Basketball. The second was focused on "the fan of the future" with Simone Tomassetti, Head of Sports Partnerships - Southern Europe for Twitter; jury member and Eleven Sports CEO Luis Vicente; and Vice President, Rights Acquisition at DAZN, Laura Louisy. Some of the key insights on the panel were the importance of every stakeholder in the sports industry knowing their fans through data collection and analysis. Both panels were moderated by N3xt Sports CEO Mounir Zok.

The finalists, who had already been whittled down from 84 applicants, represented seven countries from three continents. Their pitches were watched closely by 150 selected guests who represented a mix of the Barcelona sports and innovation sectors.

Each of the 10 finalists made a three-minute pitch to the jury and then fielded questions about their product, their history and their roadmap to profitability. The jury’s deliberation resulted in some close calls with more than half of the companies almost tied in points. In the end, Edisn.ai was the Jury's Choice winner and SeatServe was celebrated for best pitch.

**edisn.ai** is an Indian company that created an AI computer vision platform that uses proprietary player recognition technologies to deliver enhanced fan engagement and provide additional monetization opportunities for content owners.

"We are extremely proud and honored to receive the Jury's Award at the Euroleague Basketball FanXP Challenge," edisn.ai CEO Ashok Karanth said. "This recognition from such an esteemed jury is a great boost for us in our journey. Euroleague Basketball has been great in providing us an amazing opportunity to interact with senior executives and work with them on pilot projects."

**SeatServe**, a New York-based company founded by Israelis, provides a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for venues, stadiums and arenas. Its easy-to-use platform enables both in-seat delivery and express pickup services, leading to an increase in revenue and customer satisfaction. Fans can enjoy SeatServe through a web-based app that can also be easily integrated into any team/venue/league app. "We are humbled to be a winner of the Euroleague Basketball's Fan XP challenge this year," Seatserve founder Shay Dadush said. "It is incredible to be working with an organization that pushes innovation to new heights and excited to be working together to bring a better fan experience to the basketball world."

The 10 finalists also participated in different sessions with Euroleague Basketball executives with the aim to design potential future pilot tests to be executed in the future as well as in other ‘coaching’ and ‘networking’ sessions with relevant people in the sports industry, technology and investment.

After the last two editions, Euroleague Basketball has executed numerous pilot tests with many of the former finalists and has nowadays a long-term business relationship with two of them.

Euroleague Basketball wishes to warmly thank jury members Didac Lee, CO-Founder Galdana Ventures; Luis Vicente, Eleven Sports CEO; Stina Lundgren from the Stockholm School of Economics and Sree Varma, Founder & CEO, iSportconnect & iSportconnect Capital, for their time and expertise; partners N3xt sports, LaSalle University and iSportConnect for their support and Roca Gallery for hosting the event.

The Euroleague Basketball Finance Panel has rendered its decision concerning the compliance status of Olympiacos Piraeus with the Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations (FSFPR).

Euroleague Basketball Finance Panel rules in Olympiacos Piraeus proceeding

The Euroleague Basketball Finance Panel has rendered its decision concerning the compliance status of Olympiacos Piraeus with the Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations (FSFPR).

The proceeding had been opened on the basis of an alleged infringement of overdue payables, omitting to provide information, and unfulfillment of agreed compliance plans under Articles 32. a), d) and e), respectively, of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

The case was referred by the Euroleague Basketball Management Control Commission and had resulted in a transitory ban on Olympiacos from registering new players during a 30-day period while the Finance Panel reviewed the proceeding.

As a result of that review, the Finance Panel has ruled:

1. Olympiacos is responsible for the infringements contemplated by Article 32. a) and d) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

2. Olympiacos is sanctioned with a restriction on the players' expenses as follows:

		* A 7.5% reduction (from 65% to 57.5%) of the permitted gross player salary costs for the 2020-21 EuroLeague season.

		* A 5.0% reduction (from 65% to 60%) of the permitted gross player salary costs for the 2021-22 season.

3. The ban on the registration of players imposed as a provisional measure on 31 January 2020 comes to an end on the date of the present decision, therefore on 25 February 2020.

Following the conclusion of the Panathinaikos OPAP Athens-FC Barcelona game in Round 25 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season in Athens, Greece, two individuals performed a cowardly, criminal attack, smashing a window of the taxi that was transporting the referees from OAKA to their hotel. Fortunately, all three referees, the referee coach and the taxi driver are OK. After the attack, Euroleague Basketball communicated directly with the Hellenic Police, who guaranteed the safety and security of the referees until they departed from Greece.

Euroleague Basketball statement regarding cowardly, criminal attack against referees

Following the conclusion of the Panathinaikos OPAP Athens-FC Barcelona game in Round 25 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season in Athens, Greece, two individuals performed a cowardly, criminal attack, smashing a window of the taxi that was transporting the referees from OAKA to their hotel. Fortunately, all three referees, the referee coach and the taxi driver are OK. After the attack, Euroleague Basketball communicated directly with the Hellenic Police, who guaranteed the safety and security of the referees until they departed from Greece.

Euroleague Basketball would like to state that:

* Euroleague Basketball and all participating clubs condemn violent acts of any shape or form, and will continue to apply a zero-tolerance policy.

* Euroleague Basketball will support the police investigation into the attack. Should the two individuals be identified, they will be banned for life from attending any Euroleague Basketball game/event, without prejudice to any additional legal proceedings.

* Euroleague Basketball will support the three referees and referee coach in any further action they take.

Euroleague Basketball will continue to promote a healthy, friendly and relaxed environment, in which all games of its competitions must take place, with safety and security provided for visiting teams, referees and all other accredited personnel.

Euroleague Basketball will seek the cooperation of the clubs and the local authorities to prevent any such incidents in the future. Whilst the attack is unprecedented in the 20-season history of Euroleague Basketball, should a similar incident occur again within the territory of Greece, this would signify that a safe and secure environment for the visiting teams, referees and all other accredited personnel cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, Euroleague Basketball will immediately evaluate relocating all further EuroLeague, EuroCup and U18 Tournament games outside of Greece.