From October 1 Yerevan will host the Eurasian Basketball League which will bring together six teams.

Eurasian League President Karen Giloyan, Director Ara Poghosyan, BC Aragats Owner Davit Jontonyan and Head Coach of Russian BC Arsenal Tula Viktor Uskov presented the league and answered journalists’ questions at the press conference.
Karen Giloyan: “From February 22-26 of this year Yerevan hosted the EAEU Cup which gave an answer whether we can have an international league or not. We started preparations with Ara Poghosyan to found the Eurasian League. Ara Poghosyan is engaged in negotiations with the International Federation and teams and my part is connecting with the Eurasian Economic Commission. Everybody agreed to cooperate. The league is based on the teams participated in the EAEU Cup. The International Federation advised to start with six teams because it’s more convenient. In the future we hope to include 16 teams in the league but it will be in few years. The regular championship implies home and away games after which the top four teams will play a final four. This league is good for teams with a medium budget. We will invite the refereeing staff to avoid unnecessary speculation. Our goal is to create a high-level, competitive league. Unlike other teams of the league that have state support our teams have only sponsors. That’s why I have appealed to the government, Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, to allocate some state support to Urartu and Aragats.”

Davit Jontonyan: “This year our team has a new staff in comparison with the last year. We had little time to prepare. We must try to show good results because we represent Armenia. I hope we will play well tomorrow.”
Ara Poghosyan: “This year we have added a new point in the regulations according which there must be an Armenian player on the court. Albert Tadevosyan will play for Urartu in the Eurasian League. Urartu and Aragats have spent two friendlies. The rivalry was hot and that means that each team wants to play well and achieve a good result.”
Viktor Uskov: “We have come to Yerevan in anticipation of victories. We know that the teams are good and we are in fighting mood. It will be tough to play in a hall full of Armenian fans but we have prepared and we’ll show our potential. This league is a great event for the team.”
The Eurasian League will kick off with Urartu vs Barsi Atirau game on October 1 while the opening ceremony will be held on October 2. The games will be broadcast on Kentron TV.