Second season of VTB United League will unite 12 teams from 8 countries

Today the presentation of VTB United League 2010/11 was held in Moscow. It was officially announced that 12 teams from eight countries will compete in new season competition. They are: Russian CSKA, «Khimki» and UNICS, Lithuanian «Zalgiris» and «Lietuvas Rytas», Ukrainian «Azovmash» and «Dnipro», Poland «Asseco Prokom», Latvian VEF, Estonian «Kalev», Belorussian «Minsk-2006» and Finnish «Honka Playboys».

Decision about composition and format of the tournament was taken in the same day during Board of the League and was announced at press-conference which was attended by Chairman of RF Government Sergey Ivanov, first Deputy President and Chairman of the management Board Bank VTB Vasiliy Titov, General director of VTB United League Andrey Shirokov as well as representatives of League’s partners — president/general director of «Chronopay» Pavel Vrublevskiy, general director of «Sollers» Vadim Shvetsov and chairman of TV «Russia 2» Dmitriy Mednikov.

— I am very glad that VTB United League project continues to progress and develop — says Sergey Ivanov. — I would like to star with the most important and most pleasant information for participants of the tournament — budget of the League increases. Total budget of the competition is 115 million rubles, 65 million of which are given by Title sponsor of VTB United League, the rest are by other partners. Of course, since this is professional, commercial tournament the clubs will earn good money. Prize fond for today is 40 million. In case that the team loses absolutely each game it will get 2.5 million, the club which will win all the games earns over 6 million. The games are to be officiated by high quality referees from Euroleague. Our tournament is also has unique insurance system, according which maximum ammount of payments for injured player will be 200 thousand Euro. Nothing of a kind has even Euroleague. Concerning TV rights I am happy to inform that games of VTB United League are to be transmitted on TV «Russia — 2».

Culmination of the presentation was Draw. The destiny of 12 participants of the tournament, which are divided into two groups, was decided by famous ex player, Olympic Champion and nowadays President of Ukrainian Basketball Federation — Alexander Volkov. As well as in the previous season the draw was held according to specific principles which did not let four Euroleague team to meet each other in the same group (CSKA, «Zalgiris», «Lietuvas Rytas» and «Asseco Prokom»), two Russian participants of QR of EuroCup («Khimki» and UNICS) and two representative of Lithuania and Ukraine.

Results of the draw are:

Group A will consist of CSKA, UNICS, «Lietuvas Rytas», «Dnipro», «Honka Playboys» and «Minsk-2006»;

Group B will consist of «Khimki», «Asseco Prokom», «Zalgiris», «Azovmash», VEF and «Kalev».

Regular season starts on October 6th, the participants will play two rounds. Two best teams from each group will continue its fight for title in Final Four on April 22-23. Exact calendar of tournament games will be announced in the nearest future after necessary agreement with clubs.