The Krylatskoe Sports Palace celebrated Basketball Day, dedicated to the sport’s 125th birthday and the 110th anniversary of the first basketball game in Russia.
Basketball Day was organized by the Russian Basketball Federation, Moscow Basketball Federation, Gomelsky Brothers Basketball Academy and Interregional Amateur Basketball League with the support of the Department of Sport and Tourism and Moscow’s Department of Education.
The festival’s motto, Basketball without Borders, was underscored by the roster of participants: students, professional athletes, basketball fans with special needs, famous entertainers, state and public servants, and basketball veterans.
The highlight of the celebration was a VIP tourney featuring four teams. The teams were named after the Olympic cities where Russian athletes won basketball gold: Munich 1972 (men’s team), Moscow 1980 (women’s team), Seoul 1988 (men’s team), Barcelona 1992 (women’s team). Russian basketball legends coached the teams: Ivan Eshchenko, Tatiana Ovechkina, Sergei Tarakanov and Evgeny Gomelsky.
VTB United League president Sergey Kushchenko took part in the tourney, playing alongside Russian Federation Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Russian Federation Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Khimki general director Pavel Astakhov and other famous persons. The Munich 1972 squad made it to the finals, where it lost in the final seconds to Barcelona 1992, 29-27 (17-8, 12-19).
There was plenty to do at the Basketball Day: an engaging laser show to open the ceremonies, master classes and autograph sessions with Soviet and Russian basketball legends, performances from children’s dance teams and the Khimki dance squad.
The Basketball Day concluded with a concert featuring Russian entertainment stars.
VTB United League president Sergey Kushchenko:
– Personally, basketball means everything to me. It’s my life. Today’s celebration was a real family, basketball affair. They put on a good show in Moscow and I hope it becomes a traditional event. James Naismith invented this game once upon a time. Genius is simple. Basketball is also really simple and accessible. All you need is a basket and a ball to play. I hope that there will be more events like this. All of this helps popularize our game!
It’s very important to understand that clubs and national teams can have different results, but amateur and public sports endeavors, which the VTB United League also supports, continue to take place and enjoy success. Today’s holiday was first and foremost for people who love the game.
