Basketball clubs Cedevita and Olimpija announce merger

The merger was presented on Tuesday by Petrol Olimpija president Tomaž Berločnik, the chairman of the Slovenian energy company Petrol, and Cedevita Zagreb president Emil Tedeschi, the head of the Croatian multinational Atlantic Grupa.

Berločnik said it would be a Slovenian club featuring "the best Slovenian players", which would play in the national championship and become a top-level centre for the development of young players.

Based in Stožice Arena, the new club will "bring together the best available Slovenian players who will be willing to participate in the project," he added.

Tedeschi said it was a pioneer project in Europe, as it was the first time that two professional clubs from two countries would merge. He added that Cedevita had wanted to join forces with a club with tradition, knowledge and ambition.

According to him, it is not an...