The Spanish capital of Madrid has been announced as the destination for the 2015 Euroleague Final Four, Euroleague Jordi Bertomeu confirmed today in Milan.

Madrid’s Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid will host the prestigious European event for a second time after housing the event in 2008.

“This year had many candidates interested in welcoming the Final Four, but we have decided to return to Madrid, because it fulfils all the requirements of being a great host city,” Mr. Bertomeu said. “It is a European capital with easy access in a well-connected central location. Madrid has a great arena in the city center. It is a basketball city with a huge basketball fan base, which has filled the arena for every Turkish Airlines Euroleague game played there. And Spain is one of our strategic markets.”

There were many candidates in line with Greek media reporting Munich as a destination. The more concrete nominations to host the event that missed out were Kaunas’ Zalgirio Arena, Istanbul’s Ulker Sports Arena and Belgrade’s Kombank Arena.

The 2015 edition will mark the third time that Madrid has hosted a Final Four. They staged the second ever Final Four in 1967 before the event was shelved. It came back to Madrid in 2008, where CSKA Moscow lifted its sixth continental crown and it will house the 2014 FIBA World Cup Final on September 14.

“It is a great joy to confirm that the Comunidad de Madrid will host the next Final Four,” said the Community of Madrid’s sports and youth general director, Pablo Juan Salazar. “I want to thank the Euroleague and its president Jordi Bertomeu in particular the great support he gives Comunidad de Madrid to organize this great event.

“The 2014 FIBA World Cup is in Spain this summer and its final stage will be in Madrid, at Palacio de Deportes. Therefore, it is a matter of joy to offer all people in Madrid the chance to watch the best national teams this summer and the best teams in Europe next year. With Madridians’ trademark hospitality, we want to host this event with open arms, with the same reception that the beautiful City of Milan gave us.”

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