Head of the FIBA Europe Competitions and Referees Department Richard Stokes has said that funds and the political will of Ukraine's leadership is needed to ensure proper preparations for the EuroBasket 2015 European Basketball Championship in the country.

"Two components are very important during the implementation of such large-scale projects: funding and the presence of political will that Ukrainian authorities have. During our last visit we had a number of meetings with the Ukrainian government and the president. I remember how during Euro 2012 European football functionaries exerted some pressure on the organizers, and as a result all was done on time," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine in Vannes (France), which is currently hosting EuroBasket Women 2013.

Stokes noted that the holding of such a tournament is a huge challenge and a great task, but if there is the political will, these tasks are resolved more easily.

The FIBA Europe inspector said that one of the most important components of the Ukrainian bid was the construction of new arenas that will remain after the championship and will contribute to the development of basketball in the country. He said that since the very start of the project, FIBA Europe has actively cooperated with the EuroBasket 2015 local organizing committee regarding the compliance of projects on the construction of arenas with the established requirements.

"I think that the owners of these arenas had a very responsible attitude to their design, taking into account what will happen after the tournament. It makes no sense to build 15,000-seat arenas that will not be full after the championship. It is very important that the arenas could be useful after the tournament," Stokes said.