Georgia welcomes EuroBasket: inside full of belief Tbilisi / News - Basketnews.com

With EuroBasket 2022 starting today,BasketNewswill take you inside Tbilisi to feel the atmosphere in the country before its biggest basketball event.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Today, basketball festivity in Georgia begins. EuroBasket 2022 is about to tip off with Spain facing Bulgaria, and Day 1 of Group A will be closed, with Georgia hosting Belgium.

Georgia / Schedule

Belgium GeorgiaThu17:00 Georgia SpainSat17:00 Turkey GeorgiaSun17:00 Georgia BulgariaTue17:00 Georgia Montenegro09-0717:00

However, EuroBasket is not the only big celebration for Georgian basketball. In a symbolic coincidence, Georgia celebrates the 100th anniversary of basketball after Alexandre Chelidze installed the first country's basketball rim in 1922.

So, what are the mood and expectations before the upcoming EuroBasket? BasketNews will take you inside Tbilisi to feel the atmosphere in the country before its biggest basketball event.

The first impression

You'll find out about the upcoming EuroBasket the moment you land in Tbilisi. The guests are met by a huge billboard announcing that Georgia is one of the tournament's hosts.

The same goes for Tbilisi's streets. Most of them are covered in smaller EuroBasket flags or Georgian players on the way to Tbilisi Arena. As you would expect, Tornike Shengelia received the most spotlight, but unfortunately, he won't be competing in the tournament due to a shoulder injury.

Tbilisi Arena itself was still seeing some work one day before the EuroBasket. Volunteers were still applying promotional stickers and bringing other equipment inside the arena, but the mood and excitement were undoubtedly visible.

Head coach Ilias Zouros was one of the best examples of that excitement as he was smiling throughout almost all press conference.

"We are very excited to host one of the groups of this competition," Zouros began his opening statement. "We have a new gym, we'd like to perform well and get the best result for the country and go to Berlin. Welcome, everybody!"

"It feels great," added Giorgi Shermadini. "Tbilisi is our home and our people. We're very excited. We've waited for this moment for a long time."

Meanwhile, the fan zone is built in Tbilisi's heart in Rike Park with a breathtaking view from one of the hills, with the main stage constructed in front of The Bridge Of Peace. At the same time, the huge air balloon with the EuroBasket logo also greets every basketball fan and Tbilisi's guests.

To say that Tbilisi breathes and lives basketball as you might see in Athens or Belgrade would be a little stretch, but Georgia made sure that every visitor would know that they are staying in the city which hosts the EuroBasket 2022.

Credit FIBA

The people

As you would expect, Georgians proved their hospitality. It took five minutes of conversation to get an invitation to Batumi – the second largest city in Georgia, best known for its resort and the beach.

Most people were keen or tried their best to share their ideas about the upcoming tournament, Georgia's chances, and the advantages of hosting such an event.

"We believe" and a "disaster" were probably the most common phrases throughout all the conversations I had with the locals. I didn't meet a single Georgian who might even think about a possible elimination in the group stages.

"We believe we'll qualify [for playoffs]," said one of the volunteers in the fan zone. "Tornike's injury is a disaster as he's our main player, but we still believe. We still have great players."

"I hope players will be even more focused and manage to qualify," said another.

However, some of the Georgians did not hesitate to make some bald statements.

"We'll finish in the first or second place of the group," predicted Zurab. "Purely because of our support and the way people will cheer in the stands. We can do it."

Indeed, Georgia can expect huge support as all games in which Georgia will feature are already sold out.

"I'm working here [for] approximately seven years," Zouros said. "I'm very happy and excited. We can't wait, and we were waiting for this moment. Federation, players, and coaches were waiting to have such a big event in Tbilisi. Let's go, Georgia!"

"I hope people will support not only but a great basketball. As I said, I wish injury-free EuroBasket for everyone," added the Greek head coach.

However, there are bigger things than basketball. It's clear how important such an opportunity is for many reasons that are not difficult to understand.

"It's the greatest honor possible," said Vano, who took more than 3 hours road trip to see the celebrations in the fan zone. "We are a small country, so it's a great opportunity for us."

"Some people still think of us as part of Russia, which is annoying. Hopefully, many people will find out more about Georgia," he added.

Finally, just before leaving the fan zone, my role from being a journalist switched to becoming an interviewer. I was approached by Rustavi 2 TV crew, who asked a few things about Georgia and their national team.

After the cameras were turned off, I spent a few minutes discussing the situation of Georgia's NT. After introducing myself as a Lithuanian, I unintentionally brought up some bad memories.

"Maciulis 34 points…" said the TV crew's cameraman with a smile on his face. "I was in Zagreb that night."

So, after seeing magnificent views, meeting new people, and visiting Tbilisi Arena, EuroBasket 2022 officially starts.

Georgia wants to make a surprise and become visible. And hopefully, for Georgians, this EuroBasket will bring them genuine smiles on their faces instead of the one associated with a one-man show that eliminated them in a crucial game.

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