Aug. 5, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – – The South Carolina women’s basketball team will embark on a European Tour from Aug. 6-16, playing five exhibition games in Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Budapest, Hungary and Zagreb, Croatia along the way.

“This tour provides an educational opportunity for our American players to go abroad and see the beauties of Europe,” Head Coach Susan Walvius said. “Through playing at South Carolina, these student-athletes are getting an opportunity to see things they may not have gotten a chance to see otherwise and we are excited to provide them with this opportunity.”

The Gamecocks fly into Prague, Czech Republic on Saturday, Aug. 6 and will get acclimated on Sunday the seventh before taking a sightseeing tour or Prague on Monday, Aug. 8. The tour will include stops at a pair of observation towers that provide some of the best views of Prague. The team will explore the city briefly on Tuesday, as well, with stops scheduled at Prague Castle and Old Town Square before getting back to the hotel and preparing for an exhibition game later that night.

Carolina departs from Prague Wednesday morning and buses to Vienna, Austria. After checking into their hotel, the Gamecocks will visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral, a primary landmark of Austria that dates back to the 13th century. A stop at Schonbrunn Palace, which dates back to the 17th century and once hosted a performance by Mozart, is also part of Wednesday’s activities. Following the tour, the team will return to the hotel to prepare for another exhibition game later that night.

The team will check out of its Vienna hotel on Thursday, Aug. 11 and will bus to Budapest, Hungary. In Budapest, the team will go on a guided sightseeing tour and will stop at Market Hall, which is a popular tourist destination. Before playing an exhibition game in Budapest Friday night, the team will continue to take in the local sights during the afternoon.

A bus ride to Zagreb, Croatia is slated for the morning of Saturday the 13th, with the Gamecocks going on a walking tour with a costumed guide in the afternoon before playing an exhibition game at night. Carolina plays its final exhibition game on Sunday night, but will visit the Dolac City Market in the heart of Zagreb and will see some of the other prominent landmarks in the city earlier in the day.

The sightseeing portion of the tour ends on Monday the 15th, with then team visiting the Cathedral, which is the most-known building in Zagreb and was built in the center of the city during the Middle Ages. A trip to Lower Town, which is the cultural hub of the city, is also scheduled for Monday.

Carolina flies back into Columbia on Tuesday, Aug. 16.