MONTEVIDEO (FIBA AmeriCup 2017) - The FIBA AmeriCup 2017 Trophy Tour tipped off on Tuesday, with a press conference in Montevideo, Uruguay where basketball stakeholders, media members and potential partners in the country witnessed the unveiling of the new trophy that will be awarded to the champions of the FIBA AmeriCup 2017.

Uruguayan Basketball Federation President Ricardo Vairo, and the country's Ministry of Sports Director Fernando Caceres were on hand to reveal the trophy.

"We are delighted to once again take part in a historic day for basketball," said Vairo. "For our national federation to host the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 represents a declaration of intent to be a protagonist in our sport's continental landscape, with hope of more growth to come. It is an honor to be able to unveil here in Montevideo a FIBA AmeriCup Trophy that will now forever be the big prize in Americas basketball."

Montevideo will host Group C of the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 from August 28-30, with the participation of national teams Dominican Republic, Panama, USA and host Uruguay.

"The FIBA AmeriCup 2017 is the first big step in a new way of thinking about sports development in our country," said Caceres. "There are different philosophies on how sports should be treated by the governmental structures at the national level, but we have decided that our path is to work hand in hand with the Uruguayan Basketball Federation in their plan to become a big player in basketball landscape in the world. This is an important moment for Uruguayan sport and we hope the start of many more to come for basketball in the new and exciting era they will partake in the near future."

The FIBA AmeriCup 2017 Trophy Tour continues on Wednesday in Bahia Blanca, Argentina, with further cities to be announced for the coming days and throughout the summer.

"This marks the beginning of the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 Trophy Tour, looking to have our competition be known and promoted throughout the continent," said FIBA Americas President, Usie Richards.

"Having Montevideo as the first city to unveil the trophy makes complete sense, as it is a perfect combination of all the elements that embody the best of what this competition has to offer. It is a new and repositioned event that will feature our best 12 national teams, competing to be crowned as Americas Champion, without leaving behind the great history of continental basketball championships that have allowed for this growth to take place. The Uruguayan Basketball Federation, founded in 1915, is the first constituted national federation in our continent and it provides a rich context for our sport to move forward in this exciting direction."

The newly-minted FIBA AmeriCup 2017 Trophy is "founded on history", with a new shape and feel inspired by an evolution of previous trophies handed out throughout the history of the continental competition. It has an etched map of the Americas engraved in the inner and outer surface, as well as all the past continental champions from 1980-2015 editions.

The new AmeriCup Trophy will be handed out for the first time on September 3 to the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 champions in Cordoba, Argentina.

For more information and the most complete coverage of the FIBA AmeriCup 2017, visit fiba.com/AmeriCup and follow @FIBA on social media.

FIBA