By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Finland Sports Minister Sampo Terho has sent a letter to Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, asking him to allow Petteri Koponen to join the national team in the World Cup Qualifier, as Mundo Deportivo reports.
The Finnish minister mentions the independence of Finland as an example of the importance of the participation of its athletes with national teams, taking into account that the games of selections could have coincided with the final of the Catalan League (the Catalan Basketball Federation deciding to postpone the game without determining a new date).
“It is important for a country with 5 million people at the level of motivation and self-esteem to be competitive internationally in a sport such as basketball,” comments Terho in his letter.
“Children start coming to courts and everyone wants to be the new (Lauri) Markkanen,” Terho also writes, emphasizing the importance of hoops’ growth in the country.