The Greek government approved the Hellenic Basketball Federation's request to increase the maximum capacity allowed at the upcoming Final Four of the Greek Cup.
The initial plan was that the four participating teams (Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, Olympiacos Piraeus, AEK Athens, Promitheas Patras) in the competition to be held in Heraclion, Crete, between 18 and 20 February, would receive 80 invitations apiece in order to cater to the needs of players' families and friends.
However, the Federation president, Vangelis Liolios, had made clear his intentions of hosting a Final Four that would be a celebration that will take place in the presence of the maximum number of fans allowed. That's why he made a formal request to the Greek government, with the aim of increasing public turnout at the three games.
Panathinaikos will play Promitheas Patras (16:00 CET) and Olympiacos will clash with AEK (19:00) on Friday, while the winners of the two semifinals will face each other on Sunday (16:00 CET).
The government gave the green light, granting a special permit for the Final Four to be held in front of 2.000 spectators instead of the 500 who were initially allowed admittance. Tickets will be made available to local residents, under the Federation's supervision, in order to avoid any possibility of fans traveling to Crete from Athens or other parts of the country.
It should be noted that the overall capacity of the gym under the name "Dyo Aorakia", located in the region of Nea Alikarnassos of Heraclion, is 5.200 seats.
This development could pave the way for the Greek government to ease the measures imposed on indoor arenas and outdoor stadiums, which currently allow only 10% or up to a thousand people to enter the installations.
Starting from the Greek Cup Final Four, the country's two EuroLeague representatives (Olympiacos, Panathinaikos) could see increased fan support in the games to follow. The Reds are hosting AX Armani Exchange Milan on 24 February, while the Greens receive Crvena Zvezda Belgrade the following day when the Greek national team will be playing host to Turkey for the FIBA 2023 World Cup Qualifiers.
The week commencing on 21 February is very important for Greek teams overall, as Olympiacos FC are also hosting Atalanta on the same day that the club's basketball section will be playing Armani Milan.
Right now, the only problem that might occur concerns Promitheas Patras's four active COVID cases. However, the chances of the event being postponed are very slim.
In order to ensure that the Final 4 will take place, regardless of the number of cases within any team, the Federation intends to make alterations to the existing Health Protocol.
