MADRID, 27 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spain will face France, Australia and Argentina in Group A of the FIBA Under-19 Women’s World Cup in Madrid, which will be held from July 15 to 23, according to the draw held this Monday at the Real Casa de Postas. of the Community of Madrid.
The towns of Alcalá de Henares and Torrejón de Ardoz will serve as venues in the group phase, while the Wizink Center in the Madrid capital will host the final phase.
The event was attended by the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), Jorge Garbajosa; the Head of the FIBA Teams and Venues Center, Bart Prinssen; the Sports Councilor of the Community of Madrid, Marta Rivera de la Cruz; the Deputy Mayor of Alcalá de Henares, Alberto Blázquez; the Councilor for Sports and Mobility of Torrejón de Ardoz, José Miguel Martín Criado; and the General Director of Sports of the Madrid City Council, Alicia Martín. The former players Amaya Valdemoro and Sonja Vasic also participated in the draw.
“It is a World Cup that comes in the most important year in our history and our future. It is the main event of the year of the FEB Centenary, and it is because it combines two strategic pillars: women’s sport and training”, Garbajosa said.
The highest representative of the federal body also wanted to thank the efforts made by the Community of Madrid, as well as the different municipalities that collaborate in the organization. “A lot of sport is needed for the future of our country and our world to be fairer and for us to live in peace,” he concluded.
For her part, Marta Rivera assured that Madrid wants to “be the center of the organization of major sporting events.” “In addition, we want to continue working on women’s sport as a driver of change. And this World Cup will be a golden opportunity to show that we are an inclusive, diverse and welcoming land,” she said.
Meanwhile, Alberto Blázquez, deputy mayor of the Alcalá de Henares City Council, acknowledged that it is “a real luxury for Alcalá de Henares to host this World Cup.” “Thousands of neighbors practice basketball and we are sure that they will vibrate with each of the games that are played at our headquarters, in a pavilion that is one of the last built in the Community,” he said.
José Miguel Martín Criado, Councilor for Sports and Mobility of Torrejón de Ardoz, explained that it is not the first time that sporting events have been organized in the city, so they will be “up to the task and prepared” to welcome athletes and fans so that the championship is “the best Under-19 World Cup in history”.
The General Director of Sports of the Madrid City Council, Alicia Martín, assured that “the image of a city interested in attracting young people and women to sport will be promoted, with the aim of ensuring that they occupy their rightful place on the pitch” .
FIBA took advantage of the draw to announce that an innovative glass court will be released during this tournament. “This state-of-the-art surface will provide a fantastic opportunity for some of the best young players and teams in the world to become the first to play on it at a flagship FIBA event,” said Bart Prinssen, Head of Equipment Center and FIBA headquarters.
“The implementation of this glass court clearly demonstrates FIBA’s commitment to adopting new technologies and innovations. Our goal is to make basketball even more attractive to fans, while we seek to improve the experience for our players,” added.
“We wanted to do something different and we spoke with FIBA to approve the LED floor and it will be a fantastic innovation for the future of our sport. We will make history in this World Cup with a final played at the WiZink Center in Madrid”, said Garbajosa, inviting federations, families and others so that they can live “an unforgettable experience in the region”.
–GROUPS.
GROUP A (ALCALÁ DE HENARES): Spain, France, Australia and Argentina.
GROUP B (ALCALÁ DE HENARES): United States, Germany, China-Taipei and Mali.
GROUP C (STONE TOWER): Lithuania, Italy, Japan and Brazil.
GROUP D (TORREJÓN DE ARDOZ): Canada, Czech Republic, China and Egypt.
