The tournament features teams from 15 countries and will take place in Sakarya from February 2–8.
The annual Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) International U16 Tournament begins tomorrow in Sakarya. This year’s competition features 15 teams from three continents that will compete against each other from February 2–8 at Atatürk Arena and Lütfi Yaman Arena.
Alongside Turkey’s U16 and U15 teams, Argentina, Germany, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Georgia, Sweden, Montenegro, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine are participating this year.
“We’re truly happy to be in Sakarya,” said National Team Administrative Manager Barbaros Akkaş at the tournament’s opening press conference on Friday. “The TBF International U16 Tournament continues to grow every year. This year the number of participating teams has gone from 12 to 16.”
The tournament is one of the largest of its kind in the world, and in the past has featured future stars such as Hidayet Türkoğlu, Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic, Ömer Aşık and Ersan İlyasova.
“The players who will play here today will go on to play in the world’s top tournaments and leagues,” Akkaş said.
The tournament sponsors include Sakaraya Elektrik Dağıtım A.Ş. (SEDAŞ), Otokar and Buzdağı.
“Hosting such a sporting event this year is a great honor,” Sakarya Governor Mustafa Büyük said. “It’s also worth noting the contribution this tournament has made to the development and spread of sport in this province.”
The action starts tomorrow at 13:15, with Serbia and Montenegro facing off at 13:15 at Lütfi Yaman Arena, while Latvia plays Bosnia and Herzegovina at 13:15 at Atatürk Arena. The preliminary round concludes on February 4, and the quarterfinals start on February 6. The final will take place on February 8.
The full tournament schedule is available here and four games per day will be broadcast live on the internet on TBF TV.
For the latest news from Sakarya visit www.tbf.org.tr/en/tbf and follow us on Twitter @TurkishBBall.