3x3 basketball tournament in Thessaloniki (10/04/14)

In connection with the murder of football fan in Crete during the riots championship in Greece was suspended. Therefore to remind people about the true values of sport collective team Proodeftiki Toumba decided to hold an amateur basketball tournament among the residents of his district. Tournament without aggression and injuries, only a partnership and healthy sports atmosphere.

First I visited the team meeting. They take place in little-known two-storey squat, his building used exclusively for events anti-authoritarian activists. In the meetings are involved the fans and the management team with the players. All issues are resolved by voting, discussion can last until late at night. The club plays in the championship of Thessaloniki at the level amateur teams. They collaborate with other similar projects in Greece. For example, they held a friendly match against Asteras Exarchia in the framework of the European company to save Partizan Minsk. The team also maintains links with people from Germany and they have a lot of brochures in German. For the functioning of the club need not very many money, so it exists on donations and money from the sale of merchandise.

Basketball Tournament was held on the basketball court next to the stadium PAOK. In Greece, there is a developed infrastructure for amateur sport, so the organization of events of this kind requires no extra costs. Especially popular here enjoys football and basketball, as well respected sports such as volleyball, handball, water polo. Greek national team in basketball was once quite strong and even won the US, but is now experiencing hard times.

Basketball court hung with on all sides the club banner. Carried out of the car speakers, throughout the tournament are played hip-hop (Onyx, Wu tang clan, Jedi mind tricks). In the beginning was the registration of participants, there were 23 teams. As well as all that goes under the auspices of the club Proodeftiki this tournament had a friendly nature, participation is more valuable than a victory. There were a lot of children and teenagers, many of them play on this court after school or go to the basketball section Toumba stadium.

The tournament was attended local fan club St. Pauli. As it turned out, they are mainly involved in the events the team Proodeftiki because other clubs from Thessaloniki seem to them bourgeois. St. Pauli Thessaloniki sometimes organizes football tournaments for amateur teams, once even managed to invite the second composition of St. Pauli in Hamburg for a friendly match with Proodeftiki.

Of course about any problems with the Nazis and the police here can be no question. Nazis in Thessaloniki general practically no and farther office Golden Dawn they do not appear, not to mention the an attack on someone else. The police has no reason to interfere with such activities, because in Greece there is no notification procedure as in Russia, no permission from the administration does not ask.

The tournament lasted till 11 pm. The winning team was awarded a silver cup. However, the winners of this tournament are all participants and residents of the district. At the end of the organizers said that in the near future want to create on the basis of the club still amateur team in basketball.