Jan Berteling

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to Adana for the Wheelchair Basketball European Championship for Men. We have had a number of big events in Turkey over the last couple of years and it was now the time to bring our most important European event, the Men’s European Championship to Turkey. And all indications prove that we will have a great event with close games, fighting to become European Championship, but also to qualify for next year’s World Championship in Birmingham, Great Britain.

I wish to extend my thanks and the thanks of the Executive Council of IWBF Europe to the Turkish Federation’s for Disabled Sports President Mustafa Veysel Gulpinar for the support of the Federation in hosting this important event. I am confident that we will have a wonderful championship under the guidance of Ali Duran Karakaya, President of the Local Organising Committee and Vice President of the Turkish Federation for Disabled Sport.

I would like to thank all the IWBF Europe technical officials and the local volunteers for their commitment to the sport of wheelchair basketball. Without their dedication we would not be able to put on this tournament.

I wish each of the players success at the 2009 Wheelchair Basketball European Championship for men. It is also an important step to the next Paralympics. All countries have to work hard and we hope and expect to see the results here in Adana.

We are outside Europe in the beautiful city of Adana for European Championship. I hope that everybody will take some time to see the beauty of this country as well.

The Hague, 5 July 2009

Jan Berteling

President of IWBF Europe