1.
Kaunas
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Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the centre of a county in Trakai Municipality of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413, in the Russian Empire it was the capital of the Kaunas Governorate from 1843 to 1915. It became the temporary capital city in Europe during the interwar period. Now it is the capital of Kaunas County, the seat of the Kaunas city municipality and it is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. Kaunas is located at the confluence of the two largest Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, and near the Kaunas Reservoir, the citys name is of Lithuanian origins and most likely derives from a personal name. Before Lithuania regained independence, the city was known in English as Kovno, the traditional Slavicized form of its name, the Polish name is Kowno. An earlier Russian name was Ковно Kovno, although Каунас Kaunas has been used since 1940, the Yiddish name is Kovne, while its names in German include Kaunas and Kauen. The city and its elderates also have names in other languages, an old legend claims that Kaunas was established by the Romans in ancient times. These Romans were supposedly led by a patrician named Palemon, who had three sons, Barcus, Kunas and Sperus, Palemon fled from Rome because he feared the mad Emperor Nero. Palemon, his sons and other relatives travelled all the way to Lithuania, after Palemons death, his sons divided his land. Kunas got the land where Kaunas now stands and he built a fortress near the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers, and the city that grew up there was named after him. There is also a region in the vicinity named Palemonas. On 30 June 1993, the coat of arms of Kaunas city was established by a special presidential decree. The coat of arms features a white aurochs with a cross between his horns, set against a deep red background. The aurochs is the heraldic symbol of the city since 1400. The heraldic seal of Kaunas, introduced in the early 15th century during the reign of Grand Duke Vytautas, is the oldest city heraldic seal known in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The current emblem was the result of study and discussion on the part of the Lithuanian Heraldry Commission. An aurochs has replaced a wisent, depicted in the Soviet era emblem, blazon, Gules, an aurochs passant guardant argent ensigned with a cross Or between his horns
2.
Soviet Union
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The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was nominally a union of national republics, but its government. The Soviet Union had its roots in the October Revolution of 1917 and this established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and started the Russian Civil War between the revolutionary Reds and the counter-revolutionary Whites. In 1922, the communists were victorious, forming the Soviet Union with the unification of the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, following Lenins death in 1924, a collective leadership and a brief power struggle, Joseph Stalin came to power in the mid-1920s. Stalin suppressed all opposition to his rule, committed the state ideology to Marxism–Leninism. As a result, the country underwent a period of rapid industrialization and collectivization which laid the foundation for its victory in World War II and postwar dominance of Eastern Europe. Shortly before World War II, Stalin signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact agreeing to non-aggression with Nazi Germany, in June 1941, the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, opening the largest and bloodiest theater of war in history. Soviet war casualties accounted for the highest proportion of the conflict in the effort of acquiring the upper hand over Axis forces at battles such as Stalingrad. Soviet forces eventually captured Berlin in 1945, the territory overtaken by the Red Army became satellite states of the Eastern Bloc. The Cold War emerged by 1947 as the Soviet bloc confronted the Western states that united in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949. Following Stalins death in 1953, a period of political and economic liberalization, known as de-Stalinization and Khrushchevs Thaw, the country developed rapidly, as millions of peasants were moved into industrialized cities. The USSR took a lead in the Space Race with Sputnik 1, the first ever satellite, and Vostok 1. In the 1970s, there was a brief détente of relations with the United States, the war drained economic resources and was matched by an escalation of American military aid to Mujahideen fighters. In the mid-1980s, the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, sought to reform and liberalize the economy through his policies of glasnost. The goal was to preserve the Communist Party while reversing the economic stagnation, the Cold War ended during his tenure, and in 1989 Soviet satellite countries in Eastern Europe overthrew their respective communist regimes. This led to the rise of strong nationalist and separatist movements inside the USSR as well, in August 1991, a coup détat was attempted by Communist Party hardliners. It failed, with Russian President Boris Yeltsin playing a role in facing down the coup. On 25 December 1991, Gorbachev resigned and the twelve constituent republics emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union as independent post-Soviet states
3.
PBC CSKA Moscow
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PBC CSKA Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Moscow, Russia. The club, currently owned by Norilsk Nickel, is a member of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague. It is often referred to in the West as Red Army or the Red Army team for its past affiliation with the Armed Forces sports society, which was associated with the Soviet Army. In their second most recent EuroLeague championship in 2008, they defeated Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv, 77–91, CSKA lost in the 2007 final 93–91 to Panathinaikos on the Greens home floor, the Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens. In 2008, they won a rematch of the 2006 final against Maccabi 91–77 in Madrid, in 2009, they lost a rematch of the 2007 final against Panathinaikos 73–71 in Berlin. The club competed in 8 consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours from 2003 to 2010, over many years, CSKA has the reputation for being one of the richest clubs in Europe. CSKA was founded on 29 April 2013, then known as OPPV, OPPV, which means Опытно-показательная военно-спортивная площадка всевобуча, a department in the General military education service, was the first central sports deparment of the Red Army. It was based on the pre-revolutionary Community of Amateur Skiers, the first success of the basketball department came at the 1924 Soviet Championship, which was played between cities, not clubs. Two more titles followed in 1928 and 1935, in 1938, the Soviet Championships were played between clubs, and CSKA under the name CDKA debuted there. By the end of the Great Patriotic War, CSKA established itself as one of the most respected Soviet basketball teams. In 1953 and 1954, the club was renamed CDSA, between 1955–60 it was known as CSK MO, and finally in 1960 it received its current name CSKA, CSKA has had a long history of success. They won the European Cup in 1961,1963,1969, and 1971, won the Soviet Championship 24 times, and won the Russian League title every year from 1992 through 2000, and 2003 through 2013. CSKA also made the Final Four of the EuroLeague in 1996,2004, though CSKA eventually lost in the semifinals on their home court to Spanish League club Tau Cerámica and to Panathinaikos of the Greek League in the third-place game. That sent them to the 2nd grade teams in the EuroLeague draw and that same year they also lost a game in the finals series of the Russian League, but they eventually got the Russian League crown. In 2006, CSKA qualified for the 2005–06 Euroleague Top 16 by finishing third in their group and they finished at the top of their Top 16 group, being denied a perfect record at Tau in their final match. CSKA entered the Final Four on a roll as the club to sweep their best-of-three quarterfinal series defeating Turkish League power Efes Pilsen. Panathinaikos won a closely fought battle, in 2008, their EuroLeague win put them in sole possession of second place for overall European titles. Only Real Madrid, with nine titles, had won more than CSKAs six titles at the time, on October 14,2008, the team played a NBA preseason game with the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre in Toronto
4.
BC Lietuvos rytas
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BC Lietuvos rytas, also known as Rytas, is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The club, founded in 1997 on the basis of another club, Rytas, among other titles, have won two Eurocup titles, five Lithuanian League titles, three Lithuanian Cups and three Baltic Championships. Lietuvos Rytas plays their games at 11, 000-seat Siemens Arena and 2. They also had a daughter club Perlas which was used for the development of young players, Lietuvos Rytas basketball club is connected with the Lietuvos rytas newspaper and owned by newspaper editor Gedvydas Vainauskas who is also the president of the club. Lietuvos Rytas plays in the Eurocup, Lithuanian Basketball League, in 1963 first basketball team from Vilnius, called Žalgiris, was formed. Next year it changed its name to Plastikas, the same year,1964, Plastikas players joined a new team, called Statyba. This name was used for over 30 years, Jonas Kazlauskas, Rimas Girskis, and then head coach Rimantas Endrijaitis led Statyba to a third place in the 1979 Soviet Union Championship. Three years later, Šarūnas Marčiulionis joined the team and became its leader, in 1987, Artūras Karnišovas joined the team at the age of 16. In 1994 Statyba won bronze medals in first LKL season, in 1995 biggest Lithuanian newspaper Lietuvos rytas started sponsoring Sūduva Marijampolė, a basketball club from Marijampolė, Lithuania. The partnership lasted for two seasons, during which the team was known as Lietuvos Rytas Marijampolė and played in the second-tier Lithuanian league, a notable player for the team was teenager Darius Songaila. However, after 1996–97 season partnership ended, at the same time Statyba faced with financial difficulties and was at the verge of bankruptcy. The team needed new investors and in 1997 Lietuvos rytas bought the club, however, new owners didnt want to continue Statyba history and started anew – the team was renamed to Statyba-Lietuvos rytas, then just Lietuvos rytas. The newspapers investment helped the club to establish itself as one of two best in Lithuania, the other being BC Žalgiris from the countrys second-largest city Kaunas, during its first season, Lietuvos Rytas managed to repeat Statybas biggest achievement in LKL and won bronze. Next season was even better - Rytas won LKL silver, losing only to reigning Euroleagues champions BC Žalgiris, team also took second place in 1997 William Jones Cup. The team was coached by Šarūnas Sakalauskas and it was the first time in the history of the Lithuanian Basketball League when Žalgiris did not win the LKL title. Also, Rytas reached the Saporta Cup semifinal, where they met last season Euroleague runner-up Kinder, after an upsetting home win 70–60, Lietuvos rytas lost in Italy 71–83, with Šiškauskas missing a three-pointer which wouldve won the two-game series for his team. The next season, due to the split between the FIBA and ULEB, Rytas played in the FIBA Suproleague, making to the, the team won third place in the NEBL, a step down from the previous seasons second place. In the LKL finals, Žalgiris defeated Lietuvos rytas in tough five game series 3,2, in 2002 Lietuvos rytas repeated their triumph, this time in a dramatic seven-game final series with the last game decided in overtime
5.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
6.
1988 Summer Olympics
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The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia, in the Seoul Games,159 nations were represented by a total of 8,391 athletes,6,197 men and 2,194 women. 263 events were held and 27,221 volunteers helped to prepare the Olympics,11,331 media showed the Games all over the world. These were the last Olympic Games for two of the worlds dominating sport powers, the Soviet Union and East Germany, as both ceased to exist before the next Olympic Games. North Korea, still officially at war with South Korea, and its allies, Albania, Ethiopia, Cuba, Madagascar, Nicaragua boycotted the games because of the U. S. military support to the Contra rebels. However, the much larger boycotts seen in the previous three Summer Olympics were avoided, resulting in the largest ever number of participating nations during the Cold War era, before the opening of the games, thousands of homeless were captured by the police and sent to work camps. Several died under torture. ′ Seoul was chosen to host the Summer Games through a vote held on 30 September 1981, below was the vote count that occurred at the 84th IOC Session and 11th Olympic Congress in Baden-Baden, West Germany. After the Olympics were awarded, Seoul also received the opportunity to stage the 10th Asian Games in 1986, Soviet Vladimir Artemov won four gold medals in gymnastics. Daniela Silivaş of Romania won three and equalled compatriot Nadia Comănecis record of seven Perfect 10s in one Olympic Games, to these medals, she added a gold in the 4×100 relay and a silver in the 4×400. Just after the Games, she announced her retirement, Canadian Ben Johnson won the 100 m final with a new world record, but was disqualified after he tested positive for stanozolol. Johnson has since claimed that his positive test was the result of sabotage, the US finishes in fourth place after the completion of the optional rounds with a combined score of 390.575, three tenths of a point behind the German Democratic Republic. The USSR won their team gold medals in artistic gymnastics on both the mens and womens sides with scores of 593.350 and 395.475 respectively. The mens team was led by Vladimir Artemov, while Elena Shushunova lead the womens team, lawrence Lemieux, a Canadian sailor in the Finn class, was in second place and poised to win a silver medal when he abandoned the race to save an injured competitor. He arrived in 21st place, but was recognized by the IOC with the Pierre de Coubertin medal honoring his bravery and sacrifice. U. S. diver Greg Louganis won back-to-back titles on both diving events, but only hitting the springboard with his head in the 3 m event final. This became a minor controversy years later when Louganis revealed he knew he was HIV-positive at the time, since HIV cannot survive in open water, no other divers were ever in danger. Christa Luding-Rothenburger of East Germany became the first athlete to win Olympic medals at the Winter Olympics and she added a cycling silver to the speed skating gold she won earlier in the Winter Olympics of that year in Calgary. Swimmer Kristin Otto of East Germany won six gold medals, other multi-medalists in the pool were Matt Biondi and Janet Evans
7.
Lithuania men's national basketball team
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The Lithuania mens national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in FIBAs competitions of basketball. Despite Lithuanias small size, with a population of just almost 2.9 million, the Lithuanian team won the last EuroBasket tournaments prior to World War II, in 1937 and 1939. The 1939 team was led by Frank Lubin, who helped popularize basketball in the country and was called the Grandfather of Lithuanian Basketball, following the countrys annexation by the Soviet Union during the war, Lithuanian players frequently formed the core of the Soviet national team. After the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1990, the team was resurrected. The Lithuanian team won the FIBA EuroBasket for the time in 2003. On 13 December 1925 in Latvian capital Riga, Lithuanians played their first international game against their neighbors, given the Latvians had international knowledge provided by coaches of the American YMCA, they easily won 41–20. Later on, Latvians were crushing the future three-times European champions Lithuanians as well, another game the following year was won by the Latvians 47–12. During the period, basketball saw its Lithuanian popularity decrease and get overshadowed by football, the cold climate and lack of suitable indoor arena only allowed for basketball to be played during the summer period, and even then those who practiced preferred other sports. In 1935, Lithuania decided to promote a World Lithuanian Congress in temporary capital Kaunas, the following year, a delegation of Lithuanian American athletes from Chicago arrived in Kaunas as participants of World Lithuanian Congress. Two of the players, Juozas Joseph Zukas and Konstantinas Konnie Savickus, stayed to teach basketball secrets to Lithuanians, while Savickus had returned to America, another descendant of Lithuanians would arrive to aid the countrys basketball rise. Frank Lubin, who won a medal at the first basketball Olympic tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, was invited to visit the Baltic nation by an Lithuanian official in attendance. Going by the Lithuanian name Pranas Lubinas, he spent five months there and served as the countrys first knowledgeable coach, Lubinas, along with Zukas, helped the Lithuanians beat the Latvians for the first time,35 to 27. The preparations for the EuroBasket 1937 started slowly, with players training only 4 hours a week, after a telegram was sent to the USA, two players arrived one month prior to the tournament, Pranas Talzūnas and Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, the latter of whom was designated as player-coach. The national team was being prepared not only technically, but also physically, the efforts were successful - the Lithuanians became the champions of Europe for the first time, defeating all their opponents and with Talzūnas being picked as the tournaments most valuable player. The crowd then rose to their feet and together sang the Lithuanian anthem, the team returned to a warm reception, with thousands gathering at a train station in a way Kriaučiūnas compared to like we, here in America, greet the president. Basketball regained its ground immediately, and had its popularity rise abruptly, especially among students, gymnasium teams from almost all counties competed in student games, teams were assembled in firms and basketball courts appeared all around the country. According to future player Stepas Butautas, In every yard hoops are being made from barrels, children, teenagers are throwing balls into them, others - even a sock crammed with clouts. Our Veršvai Primary School teacher K. Požemecka built two poles, made hoops from a willow and said, We will play basketball, future team coach Vladas Garastas added that as kids we started using a barrel to make a hoop
8.
LSU-Atletas
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LSU-Atletas is a professional basketball club of Kaunas, Lithuania, which was participating in the LKL and the Baltic League. In 2009, the merged with BC Kaunas Triobet and played with the names of Kaunas. In 2013 club was renamed again into LSU-Atletas, which was merged with NKL champions of the same name, Atletas are also multiple time LKL finalists, and once considered to be one of the strongest teams in the LKL. Now, the plays in the Regional Basketball League. The NBA center Žydrūnas Ilgauskas represented Atletas at the beginning of his career. Lithuanian basketball star Saulius Štombergas was also a key player of the back then. Donatas Motiejūnas also played for Atletas during beginning of his career
9.
Real Madrid Baloncesto
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Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team that was founded in 1931, as a division of the Real Madrid C. F. multi sports club. They play domestically in the Liga ACB, and internationally in the EuroLeague, as successful as the Real Madrid athletic associations football club, the basketball team has been the most successful of its peers in both Spain and Europe. The Real Madrid squads have won a record 33 Spanish League championships and they have also won a record 27 Spanish Cup titles, a record 9 EuroLeague Championships, and a record 4 Saporta Cups. Madrid has also won a record 5 Intercontinental Cups, and they have also won 3 Triple Crowns. Some of the star players over the years have included, Arvydas Sabonis, Dražen Petrović, Dražen Dalipagić, Mirza Delibašić, Juan Antonio Corbalán, Fernando Martín. Real Madrid also has a basketball team that plays in the amateur level Spanish 4th-tier Liga EBA. Its early dominance in Spain has resulted in another cache of 33 domestic league and 27 cup trophies. Madrid downed Milano the 1984 Cup Winners Cup on free throws by Brian Jackson, Madrid added a 1988 Korać Cup title against Cibona, and a 1992 Saporta Cup trophy against PAOK on a buzzer-beating jumper by Rickey Brown. It was not until Sabonis arrived in Madrid when Real won its last Euroleague title in 1995, Madrid still won the 1997 Saporta Cup title against Verona, but no more European trophies came in the next decade. Madrid still found success at home, winning Spanish League titles in 2000 and 2005 and it all changed in 2007 when Joan Plaza was promoted to head coach. Moreover, Madrid won the Spanish regular season and stayed strong in Palacio Vistalegre to lift its 30th league trophy, in Pablo Lasos era Real Madrid Baloncesto still found the success. New Spanish top tier players like Sergio Rodríguez and Rudy Fernández were acquired, also ACB Rising Star winner Nikola Mirotić mixed with Sergio Llull and Felipe Reyes, to give Real Madrid a strong home grown core. The team gave Real Madrid Baloncesto 5 Copa del Reys,3 Spanish Super Cups,3 Liga ACBs,1 EuroLeague, on May 17,2015, after waiting 20 years to win another EuroLeague championship, Real Madrid won the 2015 Euroleague against Olympiacos. Madrids Andrés Nocioni was named the Final Four MVP and this title was called La Novena. Following the EuroLeague title, the 2014–15 ACB season was also won, because Real also won the Cup and Supercup that season, it won its first Quadruble crown. On September 27,2015,34 years after their last FIBA Intercontinental Cup title, Real Madrid won their fifth FIBA Intercontinental Cup trophy, Sergio Llull was named MVP of this tournament. Fronton Fiesta Alegre, before the team played in not domed courts, colegio Maravillas, used for home games during the construction of the new pavilion. 3 Trofeo Teresa Herrera,1987,1989,1991,2 Trofeos Open de París, 1961/62, 1962/63
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