Cyprus Basketball Federation
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The Cyprus Basketball Federation (Greek: ΚΟΚ-Κυπριακή Ομοσπονδία Καλαθόσφαιρας) is the governing body for basketball on the island of Cyprus and is a division of the Cyprus Sport Organisation (ΚΟΑ-Κυπριακός Οργανισμός Αθλητισμού). It was established in 1966 and became a full member of FIBA in 1974.
It is responsible for representing Cyprus on the international stage and for running the national teams that represent Cyprus at all levels.
Currently it runs:
- two national men’s leagues:
- Division 1 (8 teams)
- Division 2 (14 teams)
- The yearly Cyprus basketball Cup (that employs a knockout format)
- One national women’s league (7 teams)
[edit] History of Basketball in Cyprus
Cyprus has a total population of around 800,000 most of whom follow the sport of basketball. In terms of popularity and spectator following, basketball only comes second to football.
The history of basketball in Cyprus can be roughly categorized into 3 periods (1966 to 1974, 1974 to 1988 and 1988 to today). Up to and including 1974 the most successful teams on the island were Digenis Morphou and PAEEK Kerynia. As a direct result of the Turkish invasion both teams were expelled from their home towns; an event which had obvious catastrophic consequences.
The immediate aftermath of the invasion was a period of economic suffering for all aspects of society including sport and basketball itself. Investment in sport development, infrastructure and foreign expertise (players and coaches) became of secondary importance. However, the triumph of Greece in the Eurobasket 1987 tournament sparked a renewed interest in the sport which brought in young players and the beginnings of a much needed investment. Foreign players soon followed and new arenas were constructed to cover the thousands of fans flocking to the top division games.
Eight teams have won the league title since 1967. AEL has 11 championship trophys, APOEL has 8, Achilleas 5, Pezoporikos 4, Keravnos and PAEEK 3 and ENAD, Digenis 2 while seven teams have won the cup. APOEL has 11 cups, AEL follows with 8, and Achilleas has 7. POL won 5 trophies and Keravnos took 4. Finally Apollon and ENAD have 1 cup.
Many of the teams in Cyprus have financial problems. The top teams like APOEL, Keravnos and Apollon have a budget of about $400.000 while the wages for the local players range from $300 to $3000. The players are semi-professional and the majority of the players have a second job. Due to the financial problems PAEEK Kerynia had to suspend their basketball action three years ago while teams like Achilleas Kaimakliou and Agros lost lots of their power.
Currently the top division can be (at best) described as semi-professional. Most teams will employ two foreign players (non EU citizens) whilst most locals will receive a monthly wage that ranges from a few hundred to CY£1500 (about $3000 US). As such, most local players need a second job to make ends meet. The top teams have an annual turnover of around CY£200,000. At the other end of the spectrum teams with a rich history such as PAEEK Kerynia have had to suspend their basketball action (three years ago) while teams like Achilleas Kaimakliou and Agros are in also decline.
Until the early 80’s most games were held on open courts with a tarmac floor and a wooden backboad. But by the end of the decade KOA (Cyprus Sports Authority) had invested in several modern indoor arenas. Stadiums were erected in every city and venues such as the Eleftheria” in Nicosia, “Kition” in Larnaca, AEL arena and Apollon stadium in Limassol now meet modern international standards where European competition matches are regularly held.
In season 2005-06 8 teams will compete in the first division. They are AEK, AEL, APOEL, Apollon, ENAD, Etha, Keravnos and AC Omonia. The city of Nicosia is represented by 5 teams; Limassol has 2 and Larnaca by 1. The 8 teams will play a double round robin. By the end of the 14 game regular season the team that is last in the standings is relegated to division 2. The team that finishes at top qualifies to the semis while number 2 team will play number 7, number 3 will play 6 and number 4 will play number 5 all in a best out of five. The three winners plus the top team of the regular saeason play in the semis with a best out of five. The two teams qualify to the finals.
In the Cyprus cup, just like season 2004-05 again this year there will be two competitions, one for division 1 and one for division 2. The reason is that the division 2 teams are too weak to compete against the top division clubs so a separate cup tournament was a good option.
Except of the men’s championship there is also a teenager’s league (U-20). The teams that take part in the men’s league also take part in the U-20 league. There is also women’s championship with 6 teams, U-16 boys and girl’s championship. Most of the teams also have basketball academies were young children go and learn the game.
Basketball in Cyprus is an expanding sport. More and more people are coming close to the game and the interest form the press and fans is going rapidly.
[edit] National team
[edit] External Links
- Official Site [1] (Greek)
- Overview by Cyprus Sport Organisation [2]
- Details as registered with FIBA [3]
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