Tag Archives: AEL

by | October 26, 2012 · 4:45 pm

Sport: Dividing or Uniting?

Fans peacefully displaying their support

Flashing lights, countless police vehichles and blue capped UN soldiers awaited as I drove down the road leading to the checkpoint connecting the north and the south this evening.  What could possibly be going on? I wondered to myself.  Then it quickly dawned on me; tonight was the night that Turkish Professional Football Club Fenerbahce takes on Greek Cypriot Club AEL in a highly anticipated Europa League match.  The police officers and soldiers awaited the bus loads of incoming Fenerbahce fans crossing from the north to the south to ensure that there would not be any violent clashes as they crossed over to the Greek Cypriot South.  Thankfully, it seemed to me that the precautions were a bit overboard as I only saw excited Fenerbahce Fans awaiting to cross the checkpoint and no one awaiting them other than the authorities monitoring their safety.

The Turkish Football Club was not crossing at the checkpoint alongside all of their fans, due to the fact that Turkish Citizens are not allowed to cross from the north to the south of the country.  Thus the Footballers had to fly through Greece and enter the country from one of the airports located in The Republic of Cyprus.  Tensions remain high and many people are anxious that the game will bring about violent clashes amongst fans. Leading up to the match there were rumors that national flags, a common site at most international football games, would be banned because they could spark violence. But a week before the game the chairman of the AEL Limassol, Andreas Sofokleus, reassured Fenerbace fans that Turkish flags would be allowed.

In the end Fenerbahçe beat AEL Limassol 1-0 but some say the real victory was in the fact that there were no serious outbreaks of violence during or after the game. Nevertheless the negative energy surrounding the game reminds me how much sports ignite such passion within individuals.  This deep seeded power of a game can prove to further divide individuals and societies or it can be harnessed and used to unite.  If only the fans and the players of the two clubs could see the positive power that the game of basketball has had in transforming the perceptions and attitudes of our young Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot youth, maybe they too could be inspired by the positive power of a game.

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by | November 11, 2011 · 3:08 pm

Professional Basketball in Cyprus

Omonia vs Karavnos featuring Jamal (American out of UC Berkeley) shooting the ball, Chan (Czech out of West Virginia) defending, and PPI-CY's Coordinator Athanasios getting ready to rebound

With the NBA lockout in its 134th day, many are fearing the pains of a winter without professional basketball. But in Cyprus at least, there is plenty of basketball to hold us over. In the Greek-Cypriot community there are 9 Division 1 basketball teams: APOEL, AEK, Achilleas, ETHA, Keravnos, Omonia, Apollon, AEL, and ENAD. Every season the 9 teams play each other twice, followed by playoffs where the champion automatically qualifies to compete in FIBA’s EuroChallenge competition where they will compete against the best teams of Europe, Russia and Turkey.

Professional basketball match between Gonyeli and Koop in the Turkish-Cypriot community

In the Turkish-Cypriot community there are also 9 teams: Gonyeli, Near East University, Eastern Mediterranean, Akdeniz, Kucuk Kaymakli, Soyer Sport, Koop, Karaoglanoglu, and Yeni Cami. But other than the number of teams, there is very little in common between the Greek-Cyprtiot and the Turkish-Cypriot basketball leagues. For the Turkish-Cypriot teams there is no opportunity to advance to play in the EuroChallenge, and the talent levels and team budgets are much lower. In the Greek-Cypriot community, teams have annual budgets of 120,000 t0 700,000 euro, while on the north the budgets are around 35,000 euro. For this reason every team in the Greek-Cypriot league is able to draw up to 3 American players (usually coming out of low end D1 colleges) and a host of other European professional players, while there are usually only 1 or 2 Americans and Europeans playing in the entire Turkish-Cypriot league.

PPI-CY's Coordinator Athanasios scoring a layup in Omonia's win over Apoel

One thing that makes professional basketball in Cyprus special is how it feels like a small family. At every game you see the same faces in the crowd, and the same coaches standing on the sidelines. And while players will switch jerseys from season to season, you can pretty much guess who the starting 5 will be year after year. And there are plenty of current and former PeacePlayer staff among the ranks. Former PPI-CY Coordinator Marios is now the head coach of ENAD, friend of the program Mihalis is assistant coach for Karavnos, PPI-CY coaches Antonia and Alexi play and coach for Achilleas, while current PPI-CY Coordinator Athanasios (aka T-Bone) plays for Omonia. Last season PPI-CY International Fellow Gunnar Hagstrom played in the Turkish-Cypriot league on the Lefkosia Devils with PPI-CY Board Member Ercan Basaran. I had the pleasure of watching them win their first 3 games before the team was disbanded due to lack of funds.

But one of the best memories from professional basketball in Cyprus was during my first few months on the island, when PPI-CY Board Member Orhun Mevlit, was head coach of Gonyeli. They were already in the second round of the playoffs when Orhun asked Gunnar and myself to join the team as his assistant coaches. We gladly accepted, and spent the next month sitting on the bench with the team, working with the players and coaches, as they made their way to the championship.

With many good relationships between PPI-CY and the professional basketball community in Cyprus, we see great opportunity for future partnerships such as inviting professional players to PPI-CY tournaments, holding professional coaches trainings, and inviting PPI-CY teams to attend professional games and even play during halftime. All of these ideas would be fun for our kids and a great opportunity to give put the spotlight on PeacePlayers’ mission of uniting the youth of Cyprus through sport.

Myself (in blue) with PPI-CY Board Member and Gonyeli Head Coach Orhun (3rd from left), and PPI-CY Fellow Gunnar (second from right) at the Gonyeli championship awards ceremony in 2011

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by | November 25, 2009 · 1:06 pm

Extracurricular Activities In Cyprus

Teams from Iskele/Trikomo and Famagusta played a friendly match with each other last week.

The primary events during PPI – CY’s program year are it’s bi-communal events, where children from the Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot communities meet on the basketball court. Island-wide tournaments, 3-on-3 tournaments, twinnings, or summer basketball camps are all examples of how PPI – CY brings the two communities together through the game of basketball. Without these experiences, the PPI – CY experience would not be as comprehensive and educational as it currently is.

This good ol' fashioned shot-fake seemed to work pretty well in last week's friendly match.

While these experiences are essential to the PPI – CY educational experience, there is also room for activity within each PPI – CY community. Last week, PPI – CY teams from Famagusta and Iskele/Trikomo played a friendly match between its boys teams. It was a great opportunity for two Turkish-Cypriot teams to show off their skills, and for coach Bahar Mevlit (Famagusta) and Sevki Pirlanta (Iskele/Trikomo) to demonstrate their coaching abilities in a game situation. It was great practice for everyone.  Everyone from each team got to play, and everyone walked away from the court smiling and laughing, after a good time was had by all.

Team Agios Antonios' seats were pretty close to the floor last night.

Last night, PPI – CY’s boys team from Agios Antonios, in the Greek-Cypriot town of Limassol, had the opportunity to watch Limassol’s professional basketball club, AEL, play a EuroCup game against Crotia’s Cedevita from the city of Zagreb.  While sitting courtside was cool enough, the boys were actually invited by the club to make their way onto the court to shoot around during the intermission. The home team won, and fun was had by all.

The boys were allowed to shoot around on the floor during halftime of last night's game.

Even though the global financial crisis has affected every aspect of Cypriot civil society, it has not prevented PPI – CY from still offering a great basketball experience to all of its participants. Whether its sitting courtside at EuroCup games, or playing friendly matches with fellow peace-builders from the same community, there are many aspects to the PPI – CY experience, with each one complimenting the overall goal of bringing the two communities closer through the game of basketball.

P.S. Want to take a simple action to support PeacePlayers International in Cyprus?  We’re now eligible for inclusion in the latest edition of CauseWorld, a mobile app that lets you earn “karmas” – badges backed up by donations from Citi and Kraft – for your favorite causes just by visiting your own local hangouts. Vote for PPI to be one of three new Causes included in this round. (You can find us fourth from the bottom of the list on the right.) There’s no registration required and, with just a few seconds of your time, you’ll help PPI continue to work for a peaceful future in Cyprus and other deeply divided communities around the world!

Development and Communications Associate-PPI 01-05-10

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