The first promotional event of European Seniors Basketball Association will be hold in Liepaja, Latvia. Why Liepaja?
Suitable infrastructure for the competition:
- Liepaja Olympic Centre (LOC) with 4 courts, opened on 2nd August, 2008. The five-story building covers an area of 18000 m2 and has a wide range of gyms suitable for basketball, volleyball, floor-ball, table tennis, boxing, judo, Greco-Roman and free-fighting
- Four conference halls of different sizes for the first congress of ESBA members, affiliation with ESBA and the first educational seminar.
- Registration, info centre, medical centre, cafe– everything in one venue.
Local organizers with experience in the organization of various FIBA championships:
2009 – Eurobasket Women, 2010 – U20 European Championship Women; 2011 – U19 World Championship Men; 2012 & 2013 – U18 European Championship Men
Support from the city.
A good place for relaxation:
- A wide Blue flag beach – for relaxation and the biggest entertainment event of the tournament – a social party. The Liepaja beach and its fine white sand has been a favourite among visitors since it was first visited by the Russian tsars at the end of the 19th century. Since 2001, the Blue Flag has been flying with honour at the Liepaja beach, attesting to international standards of quality and safety.
- Liepaja – a city with a soul and a hometown to many famous musicians in Latvia, with its interesting wooden buildings. It is a city of contrasts, known as the city where the wind is born;
- SPA and swimming pools, opened in December, 2011. A modern swimming pool and SPA center with a relaxation zone, water massage, bubble baths, three types of saunas, two swimming pools and a water amusement zone for children.
A unique part of Liepaja – Karosta:
A unique and rare site, not just for Latvia, but also in the global historical, architectural and urban construction context. Built as a naval base, Karosta was later used as army headquarters and includes czarist-era mansions used by admirals, a palace for the czar, an impressive Russian Orthodox naval cathedral and multiple underground bunkers and abandoned storehouses.
Latvian Midsummer Night on June 23-24:
The most important holiday for the Latvian people is the Summer Solstice festival, or Jāņi, which is celebrated on the night of 23rd June. Farms are decorated with garlands of oak and birch branches and meadow flowers. Traditional caraway seed cheese and large quantities of beer are always on the menu. Many ancient traditions that have disappeared from Europe are still alive and well in Latvia, especially Midsummer Night (23rd June). The 3-day celebration of the summer solstice is the biggest and most loved holiday in Latvia. You won’t experience anything like it anywhere else in Europe and it is definitely the one night of the year when you should stay up till sunrise.
You can read more about Liepaja and its surroundings here in English and Russian:
