Istanbul, ready to host the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four 2017

Istanbul, ready to host the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four 2017

 The extraordinary Sinan Erdem Dome will be the stage for the exciting final round of the championship, which will be played from May 19th to 21st between CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe and Olympiacos Piraeus

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four 2017 will take place this weekend in Istanbul. This season has been particularly demanding for the 24 participating teams, and the championship will culminate with four exciting matches played by highly deserving teams to get the trophy: CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe and Olympiacos Piraeus.

The intense final round of this competition returns to Istanbul, the welcoming and attractive metropolis of Turkey, five years after the EuroLeague Final Four 2012. The matches will take place in the famous Sinan Erdem Dome, Turkey's largest indoor arena and one of the biggest in Europe, where the final round of the 2010 World Basketball Championship was also celebrated.

M. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines, said that the Final Four taking place in İstanbul for the second time showed the city’s excellent setting for sports events that unite millions of people from all around the world in excitement, passion and joy and commented: “İstanbul once again welcomes basketball fans from all across Europe to witness the excitement as the best teams of the continent face each other for the opportunity of being the champion. As the airline that flies to more countries than any other airline in the world, it is our core mission to bridge people, continents and worlds not only through our wide network but also through our diverse range of sponsorship activities that we have been engaged in for many years. Our strong backing to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague underlines the importance which we attach to the passion of sports, the values of sportsmanship and friendly competition in fulfilling our mission.”

Mr. Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO added: “After five years have passed since the last Final Four in İstanbul, it is our pleasure to be in this great city once again to watch the EuroLeague Champion crowned. Fans from all across Europe will witness the best teams in the continent and we are sure that, just like the previous Final Four in İstanbul, this year’s finals will have its place in basketball history. I would like to especially thank Turkish Airlines and Mr. Aycı for the warm welcome which we have received and all the support they have shown, and in being an integral part of bringing the Final Four back to Istanbul.” 

One of the most remarkable features of this Final Four is its similarity to the one that took place in 2015 in Madrid, with the same participating teams and even the same semi-final matchups.

The first match will be played on Friday at 17.30 h. (Local time) between CSKA Moscow, and the Olympiacos Piraeus.

The audience will enjoy the next match as the semi-final matchup between Fenerbahçe, and Real Madrid at 20.30 h. (local time)

The losing teams of these matches will compete for the third place in the league table on Sunday at 17.00, although the greatest emotion will be reserved for the match between the two finalists, which will take place at 20.00 and which will be broadcasted in nearly 200 countries around the world.

EuroLeague Basketball was established in the 2000/2001 season. In 2010, Turkish Airlines, the airline which flies to more countries and international destinations than any other airline in the world, became the official sponsor of the most important basketball competition in Europe, as well as part of its final round. For this season, the flag company will celebrate the Final Four in Istanbul, in its home, making this collaboration even more special, with a really welcoming audience encouraging all the teams. The global brand has even themed the TC-JRO Airbus A321, livering its exterior with graphic allusions to the EuroLeague, which is flying around the sky over Istanbul.

With the aim of further promoting the Istanbul Final Four and spreading the close link of this city and Turkish Airlines with sports and its values of effort and improvement, the flagship carrier has recorded a video that will reach out to the entire planet through social media. Turkish Airlines has collaborated with the famous youtubers 'How Ridicilous' -specialized in original trickshots trials in different world stages-, who star in this video in which they practice their favorite activity at various emblematic places in Istanbul Such as Galata Tower, The Maiden's Tower, Rumelian Castle and July 15 Martyrs' Bridge (Boshporous Bridge).

Turkish Airlines’ sponsorship to the EuroLeague Basketball will continue for three more years.

About Turkish Airlines:

Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a 4-star airline today with a fleet of 338 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 299 destinations worldwide with 250 international and 49 domestic. According to Skytrax survey of 2016, Turkish Airlines was chosen "Europe's Best Airline" for the 6th and "Best Airline in Southern Europe" for the 8th consecutive time. Turkish Airlines was awarded for the world's "Best Onboard Catering - Economy Class" in 2010, and the world’s "Best Business Class Airline Catering" in 2013, 2014, and once again this year; and according to this year's results, it has also been awarded the “Best Business Class Lounge Dining” award for two years in a row. More information on Turkish Airlines is available on our website www.turkishairlines.com  or our Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin and Instagram accounts.

About Star Alliance:

Turkish Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, which provides a worldwide transportation, recognition and services for those traveling internationally, and which was established as the first global airline alliance in 1997. The airline companies, being the members of Star Alliance that is deemed worthy of numerous awards, including "Market Leadership Award" by the Air Transport World and “Best Airline Alliance" by the Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax, are as follows: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca Brazil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Currently, Star Alliance members operate more than 18,450 flights to 1300 airports across 190 countries daily.