Euro Basket 2011
Europe Blog would like to congratulate Spain for winning Euro Basket 2011. Good job guys !
France and Macedonia, better luck next time. Also, let us not forget Lithuania. Lithuanians were wonderful host and favorites of many. Thank you for the tournament.
This post was written by admin on September 26, 2011
Euroleague And Eurobasket
Following basketball in Europe can be complicated for an outsider with so many different titles, leagues and championships such as EuroCup, EuroLeague and EuroBasket. Many people confuse Euroleague and EuroBasket, but they are two different events. While Euroleague is the top league in Europe where the top teams from national leagues participating (and EuroCup providing a second tier), EuroBasket provides the European National Team championships. Here we will look at the distinction in more detail….
EuroBasket
EuroBasket is the primary basketball competition which is held bienially between the men’s national teams governed by FIBA Europe. This also serves as a qualifying for the Olympic Games and FIBA world championship.
24 teams take part in the final EuroBasket competition (previously 16). Throughout its lifespan (starting in 1939) the EuroBasket competition has used several different formats including round robin and knockout rounds. Today the 24 teams are first put in four groups of six for a preliminary round, before
EuroLeague
EuroLeage is the highest tier and most important basketball competition in Europe with teams from 18 different countries (all members of the FIBA Europe) able to compete and seen in 191 countries by a viewership of up to 245 million households (800 million counting satellite viewers). Currently the EuroLeauge is using the name ‘Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’ following a sponsorship deal with the titular company.
The competition is run by ULEB which is a Europe wide consortium of professional basketball leagues. The teams will generally by the domestic champions from the leading countries. Placement in the competition is awarded on the basis of performance in the domestic league previously, performance over two or three of those seasons, contracts with the ULEB or winning the previous season’s EuroCup – though there is some variation. As of 2009 onwards placements have been awards as ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ licenses respectively.
The competition begins with first the qualifying rounds in which eight clubs compete in a knockout tournament of two-legged matches, and then a second qualifying round for the winners. Following this the second phase – ‘Top 16′ – commences with 16 survivors from the regular season drawn into groups of four teams. The third phase is the quarterfinal followed by the EuroLeague Final Four.
Eurobasket And Euroleague
This post was written by admin on September 4, 2011
The European Tour
The European Tour is often used as an abbreviation for the PGA European Tour (PGA standing for Professional Golfers’ Association) which is golfing organisation responsible for leading three of the leading professional men’s gold tours across Europe. These are the elite European Tour, the Challenge Tour and the European Seniors Tour. The organisation has its headquarters in Virginia Water, Surrey, England at the Wentworth Club, but it is run by the playing members themselves through a selection of 12 past and current members.
Of course often the ‘European Tour’ simply refers to the tour itself of the same name, and this is a very large and prestigious golfing event. The reason that the European Tour is such a ‘big deal’ in the golfing world is that it is the primary golfing Tour in Europe, and only second to the US PGA Tour on the world stage. As the main purpose of the event is to raise the income of professional golfers this ensures that it attracts a lot of players and attention, and for this reason it has a ‘purse’ of around $7 million dollars meaning that it has $7.5 million or more to give out in prize money.
The European Tour, like any golfing tour, is made up of a number of tournaments (47 for the 2010 European Tour) which take place across the season with each golfer collecting a cumulative score over this time (there are generally roughly 60 golfers competing in the seasons). The seasons of the tours do not line up with calendar years despite being named as such – so it is named 2005 rather than 2005-2006. Each of these tournaments will take place in different countries Despite being named the European Tour, not all of the events take place in Europe, and in fact many such as the Hong Kong Open do not. The majority of those tournaments played in Europe meanwhile tend to stick to Western Europe, with the more lucrative tours taking place in Ireland, England, Germany, Spain and France. Many of the championships are co-sanctioned with other tours. Since 2009′s, the final tournament has taken place in Dubai – and thus the European Tour’s money list has been renamed ‘Race to Dubai’ instead of ‘Order of Merit’.
The European Tour Teams
A number of the tournaments in the European Tour then attract a lot of attention and take place in some stunning locations meaning that it gets lots of viewers and lots of media coverage. It also includes four major championships, four World Golf Championships and the Ryder’s Cup.
This post was written by admin on March 30, 2011
Extreme Sports in Europe
Extreme sports are a great way to feel a rush of excitement and adrenaline and to make life just that bit more action packed. They also have the great advantage of – in most cases – being set outdoors meaning that they provide an excellent way to see some scenery in a new area. People will travel far and wide to get their adrenaline fix in a new place, and likewise if you happen to be travelling to another country it’s a great way to practice your hobby somewhere new and make more from your trip. Europe is no different and offers a range of excellent places to try out some extreme sports. Here we will look at some great places to try extreme sports in Europe and to help you get the most of Europe’s great outdoors.
If you are travelling to a European beach then almost any of them offer a great opportunity for extreme sports in Europe. There are plenty of great sports to try out on the waves whether your particular passion is for surfing, jetskiing, wakeboarding, parasailing, paragliding or something. Going somewhere like Corfu or Turkey provides lots of water based extreme sports in Europe with some beautiful coast lines to enjoy as you do.
There are also many snow based extreme sports in Europe and this is thanks to their variety of snow capped mountains – whether you’re in the Scottish highlands, the Tatra mountains, the Swiss or French Alps or somewhere else entirely. This means skiing, snowboarding, sledging and more is open to you and if you stay in a nearby log cabin it’s a great way to enjoy a relatively affordable ski-holiday abroad.
Rock climbing and mountaineering are also popular extreme sports in Europe. Again any of the snow capped mountains mentioned previously will provide a perfect spot to try out your climbing, but other great locations are in Cornwall or in Font.
If you are heading to Europe then and you enjoy extreme sports then you should plan ahead to ensure that you can enjoy your sport in a new location and have all the equipment you’ll need to enjoy the sport out there. By planning ahead you can find ski resorts or climbing routes, and even clubs and organisations to help ensure you are safe and have someone to enjoy the sport with thanks to the popularity of extreme sports in Europe. And if you’re not into extreme sports and are looking for an activity to try out while you’re on holiday then look out for opportunities to try while you’re out there and you never know you might get hooked.
This post was written by admin on January 20, 2011
Carrying Euro
If you’re heading to Europe then you will be required to take with you some local currency. In many cases this will involve carrying Euro as so many European countries have now moved over to that currency. The problem with carrying Euro however is that it means that you are potentially susceptible to losing them or having them stolen. When we are in our own country we normally hold onto just a debit card or credit card, but if we’re travelling abroad in Europe then this will often mean that we can’t use these cars without some kind of hefty fine.
So how do you get around the problem of carrying Euro when staying in the country? Fortunately there are a few things you can do. Here are some suggestions:
Purchase a safety deposit box: Safety deposit boxes are highly useful for storing your Euros and your other belongings. These are the same as in any other country and provide you with a metal tin that can be locked (often digitally) and to which only you know the PIN number to get in. Then you only need carry Euro that you need for that day.
Travellers cheques: Another option is to take travellers cheques which again means you only carry Euro when you need them. These are cheques that can only be cashed by you and so are worthless to steel, but that can be exchanged for money at many European hotels. The downside is that it can sometimes be a pain finding places to change them – and just because no one else can use them doesn’t mean it’s not annoying if they go missing and leave you penniless.
International cars: A great idea is to set up a card that you can use internationally without a fee. This can mean some credit cards, or debit cards such as Nationwide. This then means free withdrawals so you don’t need to carry Euro at all.
This post was written by admin on January 6, 2011
European Workouts
If you are visiting Europe, or going travelling anywhere abroad, then you will have to start letting go of some of your usual creature comforts and privileges. While travelling for instance you will normally accept that you won’t get quite the same diet as usual, that you will have to sleep in less comfortable beds, and that you won’t have access to the same media devices as usual (you won’t normally be able to play your favourite albums in the hotel or browse Facebook for instance). This is all part and parcel of travelling though and we tend to accept it as part of the experience and even embrace it as a good way to get used to living without quite the things you normally depend on (many people would say we are too dependent on gadgets and creature comforts in the modern age).
However if you work out regularly and class yourself as a bit of a gym monkey or a bodybuilder, then you will likely find that this is something you don’t want to miss out on while you’re in Europe – even a week off your routine can lead to some muscle wasting. Fortunately there are many ways to get European workouts while you are abroad, and these will not only keep you in shape but give you a great bit of variation in your routine (and some very awesome photographs – press ups in front of the Eiffel Tower anyone?).
The first thing to do is of course to look for a gym, and this will give you the easiest European workouts. If you are really into your training then you should look for a hotel that supplies a gym before you go out there and this way you will be able to get your European workouts without even needing to leave the premises. If you are searching for hotels using a listing service, then simply tick the box to include this in your search. If you are unsure then call up and speak to someone on reception. If they don’t have a gym then they might at least have a pool and this can be a great substitute for European workouts in a gym.
Likewise you should look for gyms in the area. This might be necessary if you are heading to a specific area where there are no gym/hotel combos, or if you are going on a business trip for example and the hotel is pre-ordained by management. If you are heading to larger cities in Europe then you should be able to find somewhere to train in the vicinity. At the same time you should also be able to get one or two free sessions without signing up if you tell them you are interested in joining and would like a free trial. You can normally get away with doing this a couple of times in one visit as the member of staff on reception will change – perfect for a week of European workouts. Alternatively smaller gyms in less built up areas of Europe might allow you to pay for one of sessions which shouldn’t cost very much.
If you are forced to then you can do European workouts in your hotel room – simply take something like an Iron Gym or dumbbells that you fill with water and you will have a vast range of different potential exercises at your disposal.
The best European workouts however that really make use of your surroundings are those done outside. European workouts are possible anywhere because really the world is your gym. If you can find a secluded area then a tree branch is a pull up bar, while some bollards can make a dipping station. Why not go running across the beach in Bulgaria, or try scaling a mountain in Russia Rocky 4 style?
This post was written by admin on December 14, 2010
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