体坛英语新闻：Slovenia actively prepares for Eurobasket 2013

LJUBLJANA, July 16 (Xinhua)-- Slovenia, due to stage Eurobasket 2013 on Sep. 4-22, is actively making preparations for the biggest sporting event ever hosted by the country.

"A series of warm-up matches is expected to get underway soon which will be an opportunity to test what we have put in place," Anze Blazic, EuroBasket 2013 communication manager, told local media.

While four cities - Ljubljana, Celje, Koper and Jesenice, which host the preliminary round of the tournament, are putting the finishing touches, some 1,100 volunteers have been mobilized for the international tournament, according to Blazic.

Fan zones are to be set up in cities and towns of the country to allow those unable to watch the matches at the venues to be able to follow all the action.

As tens of thousands of Slovenian basketball fans are expected to be joined by fans from around the Europe, bars and pubs in the capital of Ljubljana will prolong their business hours until 5 am.

Tickets for Slovenia's matches at EuroBasket 2013 reportedly have been sold out. Apart from that of Slovenia, there has also been strong demand from abroad, especially Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy and Finland, said Blazic.

However, he noted, "There is a possibility that some tickets for the final will become available - if this happens, we will let the public know on time."

Information about available tickets will be posted on the EuroBasket 2013 website www.eurobasket2013.org and the website of the official ticket agency www.eventim.si.