By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
A shorter Eurobasket format is approved by the FIBA Europe board, as it was officially announced as the second group phase of the competition is dispensed. That was the major decision produced on Saturday by the board meeting, a discussion that has started during the last Eurobasket.
As Eurohoops had reported the new format was initially prepared for the next Eurobasket in 2015, but the local organizing committee of Ukraine had already made its plans based on the current format and didn’t want any change. As you can understand by the dates of the changes, FIBA Europe insists on organizing its continental national teams tournament every two years and not in a four year cycle as it was proposed by the new FIBA competition calendar. Also the contract of secretary general Kamil Novak was prolonged until 2016.