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Basketball: Lauri Markkanen plays in Finland, but no TV channel will show the match
🇫🇮 Finland /Sports

Basketball: Lauri Markkanen plays in Finland, but no TV channel will show the match

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • The Finnish men's national basketball team, Susijengi, will play a practice match against Iceland in Espoo on Friday.
  • Star player Lauri Markkanen is expected to participate, offering fans a rare chance to see him play on home soil.
  • Despite the high-profile player's involvement, the game will not be televised due to a short preparation time, with the focus being on athletic goals for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Finnish basketball fans will have a rare opportunity to see star player Lauri Markkanen in action on home soil this Friday. The Finnish men's national basketball team, known as Susijengi, is set to play a practice match against Iceland at the Espoo Metro Areena.

The decision to organize the match against Iceland was made only at the end of July, so the time available for event preparation is exceptionally short. For this reason, we decided to organize the match with a deliberately lighter production and focus resources primarily on athletic goals.

— Heini SantosThe Head of Communications and Marketing at the Finnish Basketball Association explained the reasons behind the game not being televised.

However, the highly anticipated game will not be broadcast on television. Heini Santos, Head of Communications and Marketing at the Finnish Basketball Association, explained that the decision to organize the match against Iceland was made only at the end of July. This left an exceptionally short timeframe for preparation, leading the association to opt for a "lighter production" with resources primarily focused on athletic objectives.

"The most important thing is to ensure that Susijengi gets the international match it needs while preparing for the World Cup qualifiers," Santos stated. The association has not entirely forgotten the fans, though. Tickets for the Iceland match are being offered at a reduced price to make the event more accessible.

The most important thing is to ensure that Susijengi gets the international match it needs while preparing for the World Cup qualifiers.

— Heini SantosSantos emphasized the team's preparation for upcoming qualifiers as the priority.

Following the game against Iceland, Susijengi will continue its preparations for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. They are scheduled to face Sweden on Thursday, August 27th, in Helsinki. This upcoming qualifier will be broadcast on Yle TV2 and the Ruutu streaming service.

We wanted to make the event as accessible as possible for Finnish basketball fans. That's why, together with Susijengi and Susiladies' main partners, we are offering tickets for the match at a lower price than usual, so that as many people as possible can experience the international match live.

— Heini SantosSantos explained the effort to make the game accessible to fans despite the lack of television coverage.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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