The Balkan Basketball Championship, sometimes referred to as the Balkan Basketball Cup or the Balkan Basketball Games, is the defunct competition that was the men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

competition added in 1959 to the Balkan Games that started in 1929. The purpose of the "Balkan Games" was to strengthen the relations between the nations of the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

region. The Balkan Games were a collection of

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

competitions added to the event over the years.

History

The first men's basketball competition took place in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, in 1959. At the time, basketball was considered to be an important activity by the countries that competed in it. The best players from the

region often competed at the tournament. Interest in the championship waned, and it was eventually cancelled. The last basketball tournament was held at

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

, in 1990.

Results

Medals (1959-1990)

Sources

*Athletic Echo Newspaper 14 September 1979 page 5

References

External links

Βαλκανικό 1979: Τον Γκάλη η Ελλάδα τον «υποδέχθηκε» με χρυσό μετάλλιο Balkan 1979: Gali was "welcomed" by Greece with a gold medal

Εθνική μπάσκετ Σεπτέμβριος 1979 National Basketball September 1979

H πλούσια… βαλκανική ιστορία Ελλάδας-Βουλγαρίας The rich Balkan history of Greece-Bulgaria

Green national team games
{{Balkan Championships Basketball competitions in Europe between national teams International basketball competitions hosted by Albania International basketball competitions hosted by Bulgaria International basketball competitions hosted by Greece International basketball competitions hosted by Romania International basketball competitions hosted by Turkey International basketball competitions hosted by Yugoslavia Sport competitions in the Balkans el:Βαλκανικοί αγώνες καλαθοσφαίρισης ανδρών