Georgian National Team Starts Preparation For EuroBasket From Slovenia

GBF 2022-07-24

Georgian National Team is starting final preparation for EuroBasket. As you know, Georgia is one of the hosts of continent’s main basketball event. Games of group “A” will take place in Tbilisi. National Teams of Spain, Turkey, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Belgium will compete in our capital. We remind you, that games of other groups will simultaneously take place in Milan, Prague and Koln. Best 16 teams will compete in playoff round in Berlin.

Ilias Zouros chose roster of the National Team before World Cup’s last qualification round. Our team held qualification games against Ukraine and Spain on 1^st and 4^th of July, after which team was on holiday for half a month. On July 21^st team was gathered once again, now to start preparation for European Championship. This process, includes 2 games of World Cup Qualifiers as well. First game will take place in Tbilisi, and our team will face Netherlands on August 24^th, as for another one, we will play in Brescia against Italy, on August 27^th.

Our team from July 25^th till august 4^th will be preparing in Rogla, Slovenia. Rogla ski resort, highest city from the sea level and is perfect place for holiday. Our team has fully booked hotel “Natura Roglas”, where they will be provided with wonderful training facilities. Ilias Zouros will use Slovenian training camp for perfection of player’s physical conditions and improvement of tactical combinations, on which our future games will be based.

Out 18 players called in National team, 16 are travelling for training camp in Slovenia. Because of knee injury Goga Bitadze is flying to Indiana, instead of Rogla, where he will undergo additional medical examinations. Exactly there, doctors will decide what kind of treatment is necessary for his improvement. As soon as Goga feels better, he will join National Team. Will it happen in Slovenia or after National Team’s return to homeland, is still unknown. Another player representing Georgia in NBA, Sandro Mamukelashvili, will not be attending trainings in Slovenia as well. According to the new American regulations, player of professional league is allowed to spent only 28 days in National Team. “Milwaukee Bucks” has strictly outlined this period to Mamukelashvili and did not allow him to join team during trainings as well. Consequently he has permission to start training in National team from August 4^th.

After the end of Slovenian training camp, our team will travel to Kecskemet, nearby city in Hungary, and will held 2 sparing games on 5^th and 6^th August there. First play against Hungary will be open and fans will also have chance to attend, as for the second one, game will be closed.

From July 21^st till July 24^th National Team was training in Vera Basketball Palace. Before travelling, our team underwent medical examination and took PCR tests.

After coming back from Hungary our National Team will continue training in Tbilisi and on August 11^th and 13^th will face Israel in sparing games. On August 15^th out team will travel for Greece, homeland of Ilias Zouros, and participate in “Akropolis Cup”. Together with host Greeks, National Teams of Turkey and Poland will also compete.

With this, our team will finish series of friendly matches and on August 24th face Netherlands, for World cup Qualification 2nd round and in 3 days will held next game in Brescia, against host Italians. After coming back from Italy, EuroBasket will begin in 3 days.