2010 FIBA World Championship starts

August 30, 2010

The opening ceremony of basketball's took place in, Istanbul on Friday.

The celebrations started with a special show by the world-renowned group. It was followed by the, a , and the singers and. Then took to the stage. Turkish diva performed with the Italian tenor  and Greek singer. To finish, Turkish dance group performed the show "Troy".

FIBA President Bob Elphinston gave a speech during the ceremony. "FIBA assigned the event to Turkey in 2004 and after six years of hard work, a dream comes true. Turkey is ready and Turkey will deliver. We thank the Turkish government for the great support."

The first round of the tournament, which is in Europe for the first time since 1998, will tip off in Istanbul, Ankara, and.