The opening ceremony for EuroBasket 2013 was held in Ljubljana's Congress Square on Tuesday evening, on the eve of the first day of the biggest sporting event in independent Slovenia. The ceremony was addressed by Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek, who praised Slovenian athletes and welcomed basketball fans to Slovenia.
The mayors of all four host cities of Ljubljana, Koper, Celje and Jesenice also briefly addressed the event, saying that their cities were ready for the tournament.
The ceremony was also attended by President Borut Pahor and several other state officials and political figures.
Also in attendance were representatives of the Slovenian Basketball Association and FIBA Europe and representatives of all 24 nations that will take part in the tournament.
The tournament was officially opened by FIBA Europe Secretary General Kamil Novak.
The ceremony was hosted by TV Slovenija news anchor Igor E. Bergant, a former sport journalist, who said Slovenia was not only a country of sport, but also of culture and music.
The musical highlight of the event was the performance of the world-renowned a cappella choir Perpetuum Jazzile. The ceremony closed with fireworks and the official anthem of EuroBasket performed by Zoran Predin.
EuroBasket 2013 will be played between 4 and 22 September, with the preliminary round taking place until 9 September in Ljubljana, Koper, Celje and Jesenice.
The second round and the knock-out stage will be played on Ljubljana's Stožice Arena, starting on 11 September.
Source: The Slovenia Times
