FIBA U17 - Mayor of Kaunas welcomes U17 teams

KAUNAS (2012 FIBA U17 World Championship) - Participants in the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship on Monday attended a reception hosted by the Mayor of Kaunas.

Representatives of the 12 teams taking part in the tournament, along with FIBA officials and referees and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), all gathered at the city's town hall where they received a warm welcome.

"Basketball is the true love of every single Lithuanian, but for people of Kaunas it means even more. Kaunas is the hometown of players like Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Sarunas Jasikevicius and many other basketball giants,” said the Mayor of Kaunas, Andrius Kupcinskas.

Mr Kupcinskas wished many victories for the players, correct calls for the referees and, most of all, unforgettable memories for all basketball fans.

During the ceremony, FIBA President Yvan Mainini praised the great organisation of the tournament, the excellent facilities at Zalgiris Arena and expressed his wish to see a beautiful battle of the two best teams in the final.

Representatives of all 12 countries - Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Korea, Lithuania, Spain and the USA - were awarded symbolic gifts by the Mayor.

Mr Mainini also left a message in the City Hall’s honorary guest book.

FIBA