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With seven weeks to go, basketball fever is spreading across Slovenia in a time usually reserved for a more relaxed atmosphere during the summer holidays.

For the organisers of the tournament that will take place between 4 and 22 September there is no time to rest this summer as they put into motion tournament plans which have been more than two years in the making.

"A series of warm-up matches is expected to get underway soon which will be an opportunity to test what we have put in place," Anže Blažič, EuroBasket 2013 communication manager, has told the STA.

"The 1,100 volunteers which will help out with various activities will also be briefed in more details with their tasks in the coming days," said Blažič, who is confident that fans can expect a "top-notch event".

The four cities that will host the preliminary round of the tournament in the first week - Ljubljana, Celje, Koper and Jesenice - are also putting the finishing touches to months of preparations for the tournament.

With the tens of thousands of Slovenian basketball fans expected to be joined by thousands of enthusiasts from around the Europe, the organisers are focusing on proving an all-around basketball atmosphere for everyone.

Fan zones are to be set up in Slovenia cities and towns to allow those unable to watch the matches at the venues to be able to follow all the action. A host of accompanying events are also planned to keep the fans busy between the basketball action.

In another step that should help promote a festival atmosphere for the duration of the event, the Ljubljana municipality has confirmed a special exception that will allows bars and pubs in the capital to keep their premises open until 5 AM.

Fans still have a chance to get their hands on tickets for many of the 87 matches that will be played over the 19 days.

Tickets for the preliminary round that will feature all 24 teams, which have been on sale since 1 July, have been selling quickly but are still available for the most part.

Unsurprisingly, the matches of the home team have been in highest demand and have for the most part been sold out. There has also been strong demand from abroad, especially Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy and Finland.

Moreover, tickets are also still available for the second round and the finals matches, with the exception of the final, which will be played in the 13,000-capacity Stožice Arena in Ljubljana.

"There is a possibility that some tickets for the final will become available - if this happens, we will let the public know on time," said Blažič.

"There is always a possibility that some tickets for matches which have been sold out will become available on the day of the match in the event of cancellations or if FIBA/FIBA Europe returns some of the packages alloted to it."

Information about available tickets will be made available on the EuroBasket 2013 website www.eurobasket2013.org and the ticket of the official ticket agency www.eventim.si.