Finland’s 2020s home basketball streak continued when the international basketball federation FIBA named the 2027 women’s EC competitions to Finland and Lithuania.
Hinn Hirvonen,
Jouko Vuolle
Finland and Lithuania will co-host the 2027 women’s European basketball championships. The board of the international basketball federation FIBA decided on the matter on Friday.
– This is of huge importance for Finnish basketball. First we had the men’s competitions and now the women’s, this is a valuable thing for the sport, Director of Coaching of the Finnish Basketball Association Henrik Dettmann commented to Urheilu.
In Finland, the matches are played in Espoo at the Metro Arena. Espoolaishalli has served as the home of the national men’s basketball team for four years. The matches of the final stage of the tournament will be played in Lithuania.
The decision also means that if Finland does not reach the 2025 European Championships through the qualifiers, it will definitely return to the European Championships after a 40-year break. The last time the Finnish women’s national basketball team played in the European Championship was 1987.
The value competition continues
Finland has experience in organizing prestigious basketball competitions. Finland organized the first men’s European Championships in 1967.
In the next few years, the Finnish public will also be able to enjoy prestigious competitions, as Finland already received the organizing rights for the 18-year-old men’s European Championships in Tampere and the opening group of the men’s European Championships in 2025. The last time the men’s European Championships were held in Helsinki was 2017.
– I would see that individual competitions are not important, but that we constantly and consistently move things forward is important. The 2027 Games are also part of continuity and long-term activities, Dettmann commented.
On the girls’ and women’s side, Finland has achieved success by grabbing, among other things, the 2023 Universiade bronze. The fourth place in the WU16 European Championships earned a place in the 17-year-old World Championships in 2024.
– We have had an upward development, which can be seen first on the side of young people. The girls are ranked among the top 15 in the world, which is a wonderful achievement in this big sport. There is no reason why it shouldn’t get better from here, Dettmann sees.
The women’s national basketball team, on the other hand, started the EC qualifiers cheerfully by claiming a handsome away victory in Bulgaria and seriously challenging their brightest star from Hungary, one of the top countries in Europe Awak Kuierin under. From the currently ongoing European Championship qualifiers, it is applying for a place in the 2025 European Championship, which will be played in Italy, Greece, Germany and the Czech Republic.
According to Dettmann, the most important task of home tournaments is to create dreams for young girl players.
– I think the most important thing is that we can create a vision for young girl players that basketball can take you far. When you get to experience or see the continent’s peaks on the field as a spectator and player, it becomes real.