Tag Archives: Trikomo

by | September 17, 2010 · 3:18 pm

September Spotlight: PPI-Cyprus’ Team in Iskele/Trikomo

The Iskele/Trikomo and Famagusta teams at a friendly match in 2009

It’s September in Cyprus. The air is finally cooling to a tolerable 88 degrees, days are getting shorter, and schools are again filled with the familiar sounds of crowded hallways and excited children. This also means that PeacePlayers teams are coming back together after a summer off. Each summer there is some shuffling of PeacePlayer teams as coaches move to new schools, children get older and new teams are brought in. But there are some teams that stand the test of time, continuing stronger than ever.

One of those teams is located in Iskele/Trikomo. Iskele/Trikomo is a small village in the north of Cyprus with a population of only a few thousand Turkish-Cypriots. Prior to 1974 the village was a primarily Greek-Cypriot town known as Trikomo. After the events of 1974, the inhabitants of Trikomo were pushed south. At the same time a large group of Turkish-Cypriots moved to Trikomo after being relocated from their homes in the city of Larnaca on the island’s south coast. They renamed the village Iskele as a reminder of the place they once lived in.


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PPI-CY coach Sevki with his son Cetin, his wife Ferda, and his daughter Sevili.

PeacePlayers came to Iskele in 2006, making it one of the first villages approached to start a team. Coach Sevki Pirlanta had his own small basketball team at the time, having moved to Iskele 13 years ago, after graduating from a university in Famagusta. He landed a job at a local primary school and soon decided to start his own basketball program. It started slowly, but soon kids from all over the village joined, including his own son, Cetin.

“Cetin is one of the main reasons I decided to join PeacePlayers,” Sevki says “I don’t want my son to go through the same things I had to deal with growing up.” Sevki was born in Paphos, but left when he was only 3 years old to escape intercommunal fighting in the region. Sevki was introduced to PeacePlayers in 2006, only a few years after starting his own program, just as PeacePlayers was just getting started in Cyprus. Today the PeacePlayers program in Iskele/Trikomo is one of PPI-CY’s strongest with over 35 boys and girls.

Teslime (center) and Galatia (second from right) at the May PeacePlayers Tournament in Agros

A program like PeacePlayers can be particularly effective in a village like Iskele/Trikomo because it is a place where there would normally be no contact between Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots. Since going into the village, PeacePlayers teams have had many bicommunal events. Teslime, a 14-year-old PeacePlayer from Iskele/Trikomo, said that she was nervous the first time she attended an event with Greek-Cypriots, but she has now become friends with Galatia, a Greek-Cypriot PeacePlayer of the same age from Agros. They are able to stay in touch through Facebook, and look forward to seeing each other during PeacePlayer events.

Sevki’s team will be one of many PPI-CY teams coming together for a large Peace Day Basketball Tournament on September 25. The tournament will have over 200 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot boys and girls coming together to play on mixed teams. We at PPI-CY can’t wait to see all the kids from Iskele/Trikomo as well as many new faces from all across Cyprus come together to celebrate a day of peace.

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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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