1.
2004 Summer Olympics
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10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries. There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports, Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance. 2004 marked the return of the games to the city where they began, a new medal obverse was introduced at these Games, replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since the 1928 Games. This rectified the long lasting mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue, the new design features the Panathenaic Stadium. The cost of the 2004 Athens Summer Games has been cited as a contributor to the Greek government-debt crisis, some of the venues lie vacant and rotting, while others are in use, the Independent newspaper reports as many as 21 out of 22 are unused. The final medal tally was led by the United States, followed by China, several World and Olympics records were broken during the games. Several concerns were raised over the preparations of the Games and these included excessive budget overruns, infrastructural compromise, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst nations across the world. Athens was chosen as the host city during the 106th IOC Session held in Lausanne on 5 September 1997, Athens had lost its bid to organize the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta nearly seven years before on 18 September 1990, during the 96th IOC Session in Tokyo. 1996 coincided with the 100th Anniversary of the first modern Olympics, under the direction of Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Athens pursued another bid, this time for the right to host the Summer Olympics in 2004. After leading all voting rounds, Athens easily defeated Rome in the 5th, cape Town, Stockholm, and Buenos Aires, the three other cities that made the IOC shortlist, were eliminated in prior rounds of voting. Six other cities submitted applications, but their bids were dropped by the IOC in 1996 and these cities were Istanbul, Lille, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Seville, Saint Petersburg and Cali. The 2004 Summer Olympic Games cost the Government of Greece €8.954 billion to stage, the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, responsible for the preparation and organisation of the games, concluded its operations as a company in 2005 with a surplus of €130.6 million. ATHOC contributed €123.6 million of the surplus to the Greek State to cover other related expenditures of the Greek State in organizing of the games, as a result, ATHOC reported in its official published accounts a net profit of €7 million. The State’s contribution to the total ATHOC budget was 8% of its expenditure against an originally anticipated 14%, the overall revenue of ATHOC, including income from tickets, sponsors, broadcasting rights, merchandise sales etc. totalled €2,098.4 million. The largest percentage of income came from broadcasting rights. The overall expenditure of ATHOC was €1,967.8 million. e, the large projects required for the upgrade of the country’s infrastructure, including sports infrastructure, roads, airports, hospitals, power grid etc. This cost, however, is not directly attributable to the organisation of the Games. Such infrastructure projects are considered by all standards as fixed asset investments that stay with the hosting country for decades after the Games
2.
Greece
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Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, historically also known as Hellas, is a country in southeastern Europe, with a population of approximately 11 million as of 2015. Athens is the capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki. Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. Greece consists of nine regions, Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands, Thrace, Crete. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km in length, featuring a vast number of islands, eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres. From the eighth century BC, the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states, known as polis, which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century BC, becoming a part of the Roman Empire and its successor. The Greek Orthodox Church also shaped modern Greek identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World, falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century, the modern nation state of Greece emerged in 1830 following a war of independence. Greeces rich historical legacy is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe, Greece is a democratic and developed country with an advanced high-income economy, a high quality of life, and a very high standard of living. A founding member of the United Nations, Greece was the member to join the European Communities and has been part of the Eurozone since 2001. Greeces unique cultural heritage, large industry, prominent shipping sector. It is the largest economy in the Balkans, where it is an important regional investor, the names for the nation of Greece and the Greek people differ from the names used in other languages, locations and cultures. The earliest evidence of the presence of human ancestors in the southern Balkans, dated to 270,000 BC, is to be found in the Petralona cave, all three stages of the stone age are represented in Greece, for example in the Franchthi Cave. Neolithic settlements in Greece, dating from the 7th millennium BC, are the oldest in Europe by several centuries and these civilizations possessed writing, the Minoans writing in an undeciphered script known as Linear A, and the Mycenaeans in Linear B, an early form of Greek. The Mycenaeans gradually absorbed the Minoans, but collapsed violently around 1200 BC and this ushered in a period known as the Greek Dark Ages, from which written records are absent. The end of the Dark Ages is traditionally dated to 776 BC, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the foundational texts of Western literature, are believed to have been composed by Homer in the 7th or 8th centuries BC. With the end of the Dark Ages, there emerged various kingdoms and city-states across the Greek peninsula, in 508 BC, Cleisthenes instituted the worlds first democratic system of government in Athens
3.
Athens
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Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. In modern times, Athens is a cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime. In 2015, Athens was ranked the worlds 29th richest city by purchasing power, Athens is recognised as a global city because of its location and its importance in shipping, finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, culture, education and tourism. It is one of the biggest economic centres in southeastern Europe, with a financial sector. The municipality of Athens had a population of 664,046 within its limits. The urban area of Athens extends beyond its administrative city limits. According to Eurostat in 2011, the Functional urban areas of Athens was the 9th most populous FUA in the European Union, Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland. The city also retains Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a number of Ottoman monuments. Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery, Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics. In Ancient Greek, the name of the city was Ἀθῆναι a plural, in earlier Greek, such as Homeric Greek, the name had been current in the singular form though, as Ἀθήνη. It was possibly rendered in the later on, like those of Θῆβαι and Μυκῆναι. During the medieval period the name of the city was rendered once again in the singular as Ἀθήνα, an etiological myth explaining how Athens has acquired its name was well known among ancient Athenians and even became the theme of the sculpture on the West pediment of the Parthenon. The goddess of wisdom, Athena, and the god of the seas, Poseidon had many disagreements, in an attempt to compel the people, Poseidon created a salt water spring by striking the ground with his trident, symbolizing naval power. However, when Athena created the tree, symbolizing peace and prosperity. Different etymologies, now rejected, were proposed during the 19th century. Christian Lobeck proposed as the root of the name the word ἄθος or ἄνθος meaning flower, ludwig von Döderlein proposed the stem of the verb θάω, stem θη- to denote Athens as having fertile soil. In classical literature, the city was referred to as the City of the Violet Crown, first documented in Pindars ἰοστέφανοι Ἀθᾶναι. In medieval texts, variant names include Setines, Satine, and Astines, today the caption η πρωτεύουσα, the capital, has become somewhat common
4.
Argentina national basketball team
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The Argentina national basketball team, officially nicknamed El Alma Argentina, represents Argentina in basketball international competitions, and is controlled by the Argentine Basketball Federation. They have also won 13 South American Basketball Championships, as well as many youth championships, the Argentine representative was also the first to defeat a United States national team with a full squad of NBA players. They did so by 87–80 in the 2002 FIBA World Championship held in Indianapolis, in that tournament, Argentina came second behind FR Yugoslavia, losing the final in overtime. Due to the series of results since the beginning of the 2000s. Argentina is a member of the International Federation of Basketball and has South Americas longest basketball tradition. The practice of basketball in Argentina was started by Asociación Cristiana de Jóvenes in 1912, canadian Professor Paul Phillip was in charge to teach basketball at the YMCA headquarters in Paseo Colón Avenue, Buenos Aires. The first basketball clubs in Argentina were YMCA, Hindú and Independiente, apart from Buenos Aires, the practise of basketball was highly developed in Bahía Blanca and Córdoba. Argentina played its first international game against Uruguay in 1921, in 1930 the first Campeonato Sudamericano was organised, being Argentina runner-up. The first clubs championship was held in 1936, after the 1948 Olympic Tournament, FIBA decided to create a World Championship, and named Argentina as the host country for the inaugural 1950 edition. The teams coaching staff was formed by Jorge Canavesi as head coach, Casimiro González Trilla as his assistant, the squad, formed entirely by amateur players, trained in preparation for the tournament in River Plates facilities every day in double shifts, something uncommon for the times. The Argentine government negotiated with the employers and studying centers to secure their times. The team played around Oscar Furlong, a center with good mobility, other important players were Ricardo González, Leopoldo Contarbio, Juan Carlos Uder, Raúl Pérez Varela and Roberto Viau. After the World Championship title, Argentina won the medal at the 1951 Pan American Games held in Buenos Aires. The last participation of the 1950s generation was in the 1955 Pan American Games held in Mexico City, with a young and inexperienced team, Argentina finished fourth in the 1958 South American Basketball Championship and 10th in the 1959 FIBA World Championship. In preparation for the 1963 World Championship, Alberto Andrizzi was appointed as head coach and it should be noted that most of the players were amateurs, who alternated the practice of the sport with their jobs and studies. Coach Andrizzi formed a squad that averaged 22.8 years of age, the lowest in the history at the competition. This was also the first time Argentina took a player above the 2 metres of stature to a World Championship, the squad trained 8 days in Villa Allende, Córdoba Province, and played some preparation games against teams from Córdoba and Santa Fe. The delegation that traveled to Brazil had no assistant coach, nor a physician, in the tournament itself, Argentina faced a tough group with Italy, the United States and Mexico
5.
Italy national basketball team
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The Italian national basketball team is the national basketball team representing Italy. It is administrated by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro, Italy is one of the founding members of the International Federation of Basketball and has one of the worlds longest basketball traditions. The first match of the Italian national basketball team was played on 4 April 1926 in Milan, Italys first participation in the Olympic Games was at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, placing seventh out of twenty-one teams. At the EuroBasket 1937 Italy placed second behind Lithuania, after being beaten by just one point in the final game, the silver medal was repeated at EuroBasket 1946. This was also reflected at the level with the alternation of several head coaches within only a few years. Of special importance was Italys decision not to compete at the EuroBasket 1949 and it was the first time that the squad missed a EuroBasket. In 1957 as Nello Paratore took the coach position Italy made only slight improvements from the previous decade. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome Italy showed its most impressive performance to this point where it placed fourth, only behind USA, USSR, curiously, the organizational expenses of the Olympics in Rome resulted in the decision not to participate in the EuroBasket 1961. In 1969, Giancarlo Primo became Italys coach, focusing the game strategies on defense, under his leadership Italian national team grew stronger, claiming a place among the worlds best teams. Under Primo, the Azzuri won two European bronze medals and earned two places at FIBA World Championship. Further, Italy finished fourth at the 1972 Summer Olympics where it lost the match for third place to Cuba by only one point, among the leading players of the national team were the young Meneghin, Marzorati, Villalta and Bariviera. As in the years before, Meneghin, Marzorati and Villalta were the cornerstones of the team, complemented by players such as Riva and this episode in time stands out to this day as the most successful in the history of the Italian national team. In the same year Enrico Vinci stepped down as President of the Italian Basketball Federation after 16 years, the place was taken over by Giovanni Petrucci. Ettore Messina became Italys coach in 1992, winning a medal at EuroBasket 1997 in Barcelona. This medal was the accomplishment of coach Messina, who served the team for five years and failed to qualify for the Olympic Games. The second gold medal at a European Basketball Championship arrived after beating Spain in the final game, after a ninth place at EuroBasket 2001, held in Turkey, Carlo Recalcati was called to replace Tanjević. Recalcati could count on Italys top talents Gregor Fučka and Carlton Myers, as well as valuable contributors such as Basile, Abbio, at EuroBasket 2003, Italy showed a strong performances and defeated Germany and Greece but was later kicked out by Spain in the semifinals. The victory against France in the medal game guaranteed the teams qualification at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
6.
United States men's national basketball team
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The USA Basketball Mens Senior National Team, commonly known as the United States Mens National Basketball Team, represents the United States in international mens basketball. The USA team is the most successful team in competition, winning medals in all eighteen Olympic tournaments it has entered. The United States is currently ranked first in the FIBA World Rankings, traditionally composed of amateur players, a 1989 rule change by FIBA allowed USA Basketball to field teams with professional players. The first such team, known as the Dream Team, won the medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. With the introduction of professionals, the team was able to spark a run of dominance after capturing only a bronze medal in 1988. A team of professional players competed at the 1994 FIBA World Championship, in 1996,2000,2008,2012, and 2016 the USA again captured gold medals at the Olympics. Facing increased competition, the USA failed to win a medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, determined to put an end to these failures, USA Basketball initiated a long-term project aimed at creating better, more cohesive teams. The USA won its first seven games at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan before losing against Greece in the semi-finals, the USA won gold two years later, though, at the 2008 Summer Olympics with a dominant performance. The USA continued this streak of dominance by going undefeated and capturing gold once more at the 2012 Summer Olympics,2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the United States possessed a clear advantage in the early decades of international play. Through the next six tournaments, the United States went undefeated, collecting gold while not losing a single contest in the held in London, Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome, Tokyo. Roster until the formation of the 1992 Dream Team, the 1952 team included big man Clyde Lovellette of the University of Kansas, a future Hall of Famer and NBA star, but Kurland once again led the team to victory. The 1956 team was led by San Francisco Dons Bill Russell, the 1972 Olympic mens basketball gold medal game, marking the first ever loss for the USA in Olympic play, is arguably the most controversial in Olympic history. The United States rode their seven consecutive gold medals and 63–0 Olympic record to Munich for the 1972 Summer Olympics, the team won its first eight games in convincing fashion, setting up a final against the Soviet Union. With three seconds left in the medal game, American forward Doug Collins sank two free throws to put the Americans up 50–49. However, the buzzer sounded before Collins second free throw, immediately following Collins free throws, the Soviets inbounded the ball and failed to score. But one official had whistled play to stop with one remaining after hearing the earlier horn. The Soviets argued that they had requested a timeout before Collins foul shots, the referees ordered the clock reset to three seconds and the games final seconds replayed. However, the clock was in the process of being reset when the referees put the ball in play
7.
United States women's national basketball team
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The United States womens national basketball team are the defending Olympic and World champions in womens basketball. The team is composed of some of the top American players in the WNBA, the team has won eight Olympic gold medals and nine FIBA world championships, and did not lose an international match between 1994 and 2006. However, with longtime leaders Dawn Staley, Lisa Leslie, and Teresa Edwards absent, they lost to Russia in the semifinal of the 2006 world championship, eventually settling for the bronze. On August 11,2012, the team won their 5th straight gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and on October 5,2014, beat Spain 77-64 in the final of the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women for their second consecutive world title. The results of the competition for Team USA, Tentative roster for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the following is the United States roster for the womens basketball tournament of the 2016 Summer Olympics
8.
Australia women's national basketball team
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The Australian womens national basketball team is the womens basketball team representing Australia in FIBA international competitions. The team is nicknamed the Opals, after the brightly coloured gemstone, at the regional Oceania Championship for Women, the Opals have won 15 titles. Basketball arrived in Melbourne in 1905, but the first major international tournament was the 1953 FIBA World Championships held in Chile. Although the Opals did not qualify for the first tournament, they did, however, captained by Lorraine Eiler, the Opals defeated Cuba and Peru. However, the team ultimately finished in 10th place. Since then, the Opals have helped increase the popularity of the sport in Australia, Australia would not get the opportunity to participate at the 1959 World Championship held in Moscow because at the time, the Australian Government would not allow the team to travel to the USSR. The Opals would not qualify for a World Championship again until the 1967 contest in Czechoslovakia, with an entirely new team and a single victory over Italy, Australia finished in 10th position for the second time. In 1971, the Opals travelled once again to Brazil, led by new head coach Merv Harris, and featuring Jill Hammond, the team made several improvements with only three players from the 1967 squad selected. Although the Opals finished in place, they had victories over Madagascar, Argentina, Ecuador. In 1975, the team headed to Colombia with another new head coach, despite a 74–25 confidence building win over Senegal, as well as victories over Japan, Brazil and Hungary, the team finished in 10th place. The 1976 Olympics held in Montreal marked the first Olympic medals awarded for women’s basketball and their next major competition would be the 1979 World Championships in South Korea, which would prove to be their first taste of success. The coach again was Jim Madigan, and the squad featured some of the faces of the Opals for the decade such as Jenny Cheesman, Robyn Maher, Julie Nykiel, Karin Maar. The team would have early success defeating Italy and France, as well as thrashing Malaysia 119–14, Australia would lose their next three games, but bounced back winning their final game over Japan to finish in fourth place, their best international result to that time. In the early days of women’s Olympic basketball, only six countries competed in the tournament, therefore, there were 22 countries competing for the remaining five spots in 1980 Olympics held in Moscow. In the preliminary tournament, the Opals fell to the USA and Hungary, three years later, the team traveled to Brazil for the 1983 World Championships, looking to demonstrate that their 1979 success was no accident. Despite an early victory over Japan, Australia failed to advance, the Opals were not expected to participate at the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. However, following the decision by Cuba to boycott the games, led by head coach Brendan Flynn, and team captain Jenny Cheesman, the Opals played competitively in every game, but finished fifth out of the six teams. The next tournament for the Opals was the 1986 World Championships in Moscow, the first game against Hungary was a two overtime thriller that the Opals lost 79–77
9.
Basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
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Basketball contests at the 2000 Olympic Games were held from 16 September 2000 to 1 October 2000. Games took place at the Sydney SuperDome and the Dome in Sydney, the United States claimed the gold medals in both the Mens and Womens competitions. A National Olympic Committee may enter up to one team with 12 players. Twelve teams are split into two preliminary round groups of six teams each, the top four teams from both groups qualify for the knockout stage. Fifth-placed teams from both groups compete for 9th place in an additional match, sixth-placed teams from both groups compete for 11th place in an additional match. In the quarterfinals, the matchups are as follows, A1 vs. B4, A2 vs. B3, A3 vs. B2 and A4 vs. B1. From the eliminated teams at the quarterfinals, the loser from A1 vs. B4 competes against the loser from A2 vs. B3 for 5th place in an additional match, the remaining two loser teams compete for 6th place in an additional match. The winning teams from the meet in the semifinals as follows, A1/B4 vs. A3/B2. The winning teams from the semifinals contest the gold medal, the losing teams contest the bronze. The four best teams from each advanced to the quarterfinal round
10.
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
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Basketball contests at the 2008 Olympic Games were held from August 9,2008 to August 24,2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, the United States claimed the gold medals in both the Mens and Womens competitions. Basketball players that carried their flags at the ceremony were Yao Ming, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrei Kirilenko. Two sets of medals were awarded in the events, Basketball – Men Basketball – Women An NOC may enter up to one mens team with 12 players. The reigning world champions and the host country qualify automatically, as do the winners of the five continental championships, italicized teams qualified via the wildcard tournaments. Twelve teams are split into two preliminary round groups of six teams each, the top four teams from both groups qualify for the knockout stage. Fifth-placed teams from both groups are ranked 9th–10th by basis of their records, sixth-placed teams from both groups are ranked 11th–12th by basis of their records. In the quarterfinals, the matchups are as follows, A1 vs. B4, A2 vs. B3, A3 vs. B2, the winning teams from the semifinals contest the gold medal. The losing teams contest the bronze, tie-breaking criteria, Head to head results Goal average between the tied teams Goal average of the tied teams for all teams in its group Each team is limited to twelve players on its roster. The four best teams from each advanced to the quarterfinal round. The four best teams from each advanced to the quarterfinal round
11.
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
12.
Hellinikon Olympic Arena
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The Hellinikon Olympic Indoor Arena is a multi-use sports indoor arena that is located in Ellinikon, Athens, Greece. It is a part of the Helliniko Olympic Complex, and it is located adjacent to the Helliniko Fencing Hall and it is approximately 10 miles from the Athens Olympic Village. It was built on the site of the former Hellinikon International Airport for the 2004 Summer Olympics, the arena had in use its full seating capacity of 15,000 spectators for basketball, and 13,500 for handball during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. However, only 12,500 seats were available to the public for the basketball tournament. After the Olympics, only the lower tier 8,500 seats have been available by the arenas owners for public use. However, the arena can still hold 15,000 for basketball with the upper tier in full use, the arena is also known as the National Athletic Center Elliniko Makis Liougas. The facility, which was built by Michaniki and EllisDon Construction Corporation was completed on May 31,2004 and it was built to be one of the most NBA-like arenas in Europe at the time. It was converted into an arena by converting the old Athens Airport aircraft repair hangar of the Olympic Airways airline that had closed in the year 2001. The metal frame of the arena is the part of the structure that remains from the original building. This was done to save in costs for land and construction. The cost of the project was about €49 million euros in 2003 costs, the arena hosted the basketball preliminary games and the handball finals. During the 2004 Summer Paralympics, it was also the used for wheelchair rugby. The arena has been used as an arena, at one time or another, of the Greek Basket League basketball teams Panionios, Panellinios. It also hosted several matches of the Greek Cup. & Hellinikon Indoor Arena @ Stadia. gr Builders Website @ Ellisdon. com
13.
Hellinikon Olympic Complex
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The Hellinikon Olympic Complex is situated at Hellinikon on the east coast of Greece south of Athens, approximately 16 kilometres from the Olympic Village. It was built on the site of the former Ellinikon International Airport for the staging of the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Paralympics and it consists of five separate venues. The Indoor arena is an adjacent to the Fencing Hall. It hosted the Basketball preliminary matches and the Handball finals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the facility was completed on May 31,2004 and officially opened on July 30,2004. During the 2004 Summer Paralympic Games, the Indoor Arena was the venue for Wheelchair rugby and it has also been the home arena of the Greek basketball club Panionios, and it has also hosted several finals matches of the Greek Cup. The Greek basketball club Panellinios also played European cup home games at the arena, the Olympic Baseball Centre in Athens consists of two Baseball stadiums. It was the site of the Baseball games at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, construction on the facility was completed on February 27,2004, and it was officially opened on August 12,2004, a day before the Opening Ceremonies. During the 2004 Summer Paralympic Games, the Olympic Baseball Centre was the venue for Archery, the site is currently being used to house refugee populations in the current Refugee crisis in Europe. The three camps are currently home to three thousand refugees living in mostly tented accommodation. Hellinikon Indoor Arena @ stadia. gr 2004 Summer Olympics official report, pp.269,291,318,353,395
14.
O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall
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It is located in the Athens suburb of Marousi. It is considered to be one of the biggest and most modern sports arenas in all of Europe. The arena also contains a training facility, since 2016, it is named after the well-known Greek basketball player Nikos Galis. Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall is notable for its distinctive A-frame roof that features four huge pillars, each of which is 35 meters tall, according to the Greek Ministry of Sports, it is the largest indoor sporting arena of its kind in the world. The arena is constructed in a unique way so that an abundant amount of natural light comes into the arena during the day. The arena seats up to 17,600 for gymnastics events and it seats up to 18,989 for basketball games, which includes 18,500 regular seats for the fans,300 seats for the media members, and 189 seats for VIPs. A large scale arena renovation was completed in 2004, for the 2004 Summer Olympics, the arena was then renovated again in 2016. The arena was used for gymnastics and trampolining, and also hosted the finals of the basketball matches at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Renovation of the building for the Olympics was completed on June 30,2004, the Indoor Hall is the regular home court for the Greek Basket League professional basketball clubs Panathinaikos Athens and AEK Athens. It is also the home court of the Greek National Basketball Team. On December 9,2007, FIBA announced that the Olympic Indoor Hall was selected as the host of the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament. At the qualifying tournament, hosts and favorites Greece, along with the German and Croatian national basketball teams, qualified for the final 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament. On May 18 and 20,2006, the Hall hosted the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, there were 15,000 seats available for spectators, both for the semifinal and the grand final. gr
15.
Athens Olympic Sports Complex
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The Athens Olympic Park, is a sport facilities complex located at Marousi, northeast Athens, Greece. The complex consists of five major venues as well as other sport facilities. The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens has hosted the Mediterranean Games in 1991, the most significant event the Athens Olympic Sports Complex has hosted, was the Olympic Games. OACA was the venue for the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. The complex was revamped for the games under a design produced by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and it is currently used as the home ground of AEK Athens F. C. one of the biggest football clubs in Greece. The Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall was completed in 1995, and was the largest indoor venue in use for sporting events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and it is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, in the suburb of Maroussi. The arena was used for gymnastics and trampolining and also hosted the finals of the basketball matches at the games. On May 18 and 20,2006, the Olympic Indoor Hall hosted the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, the Athens Olympic Sports Complex can be reached by Metro, by suburban train, or by direct bus lines [A7,602,550. The table below illustrates how the Athens Olympic Sports Complex facilities are used today,2004 Summer Olympics official report, pp.201,207,227,231,242,273,303,324,329,346,409. Media related to Athens Olympic Sports Complex at Wikimedia Commons Official site Olympic Indoor hall info and pictures at stadia. gr
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Yugoslavia
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Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe during most of the 20th century. The Serbian royal House of Karađorđević became the Yugoslav royal dynasty, Yugoslavia gained international recognition on 13 July 1922 at the Conference of Ambassadors in Paris. The country was named after the South Slavic peoples and constituted their first union, following centuries in which the territories had been part of the Ottoman Empire, renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia on 3 October 1929, it was invaded by the Axis powers on 6 April 1941. In 1943, a Democratic Federal Yugoslavia was proclaimed by the Partisan resistance, in 1944, the king recognised it as the legitimate government, but in November 1945 the monarchy was abolished. Yugoslavia was renamed the Federal Peoples Republic of Yugoslavia in 1946 and it acquired the territories of Istria, Rijeka, and Zadar from Italy. Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito ruled the country as president until his death in 1980, in 1963, the country was renamed again as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The constituent six socialist republics that made up the country were the SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Croatia, SR Macedonia, SR Montenegro, SR Serbia, and SR Slovenia. Serbia contained two Socialist Autonomous Provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo, which after 1974 were largely equal to the members of the federation. After an economic and political crisis in the 1980s and the rise of nationalism, Yugoslavia broke up along its republics borders, at first into five countries, eventually, Serbia and Montenegro accepted the opinion of the Badinter Arbitration Committee about shared succession. Serbia and Montenegro themselves broke up in 2006 and became independent states, the concept of Yugoslavia, as a single state for all South Slavic peoples, emerged in the late 17th century and gained prominence through the Illyrian Movement of the 19th century. The name was created by the combination of the Slavic words jug, Yugoslavia was the result of the Corfu Declaration, as a project of the Serbian Parliament in exile and the Serbian royal Karađorđević dynasty, who became the Yugoslav royal dynasty. The country was formed in 1918 immediately after World War I as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes by union of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and it was commonly referred to at the time as the Versailles state. Later, the government renamed the country leading to the first official use of Yugoslavia in 1929, on 6 January 1929 King Alexander I suspended the constitution, banned national political parties, assumed executive power and renamed the country Yugoslavia. He hoped to curb separatist tendencies and mitigate nationalist passions and he imposed a new constitution and relinquished his dictatorship in 1931. None of these three regimes favored the policy pursued by Alexander I, Alexander attempted to create a centralised Yugoslavia. He decided to abolish Yugoslavias historic regions, and new internal boundaries were drawn for provinces or banovinas, the banovinas were named after rivers. Many politicians were jailed or kept under police surveillance, the effect of Alexanders dictatorship was to further alienate the non-Serbs from the idea of unity. During his reign the flags of Yugoslav nations were banned, Alexander was succeeded by his eleven-year-old son Peter II and a regency council headed by his cousin, Prince Paul
17.
Serbia and Montenegro
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Serbia and Montenegro, officially the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, was a country in Southeast Europe, created from the two remaining republics of Yugoslavia after its breakup in 1992. The republics of Serbia and Montenegro together established a federation in 1992 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the FRY aspired to be a sole legal successor to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, but those claims were opposed by other former republics. The United Nations also denied its request to continue the membership of the former state. It re-applied for UN membership on 27 October and was admitted on 1 November 2000, the FRY was initially dominated by Slobodan Milošević as President of Serbia and then President of Yugoslavia. Milošević installed and forced the removal of several presidents and prime ministers. However, the Montenegrin government, initially enthusiastic supporters of Milošević, a loose union, Serbia and Montenegro were united only in certain realms, such as defense. The two constituent republics functioned separately throughout the period of the Federal Republic, and continued to operate under separate economic policies, on 21 May 2006, the Montenegrin independence referendum was held, and 55. 5% of voters voted in favor of independence. The state union came to an end after Montenegros formal declaration of independence on 3 June 2006, after the dissolution, Serbia became the legal successor of the union, while Montenegro re-applied for membership in international organizations. With the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe, the new state followed the wave of democratic change, Yugoslavias collapse began in 1991 when Slovenia, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia declared independence. On 26 December 1991, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Serb rebel-held territories in Croatia agreed that they would form a new third Yugoslavia. Zulfikarpašić believed that Bosnia could benefit from a union with Serbia, Montenegro, the FRY was suspended from a number of international institutions. This was due to the ongoing Yugoslav wars during the 1990s, the Government of Yugoslavia supported Croatian and Bosnian Serbs in the wars from 1992 to 1995. Because of that, the country was under economic and political sanctions, in this way, every Bosnian Serb was transferred from the Yugoslav army to what became the newly created Bosnian Serb Army. Through this, the Bosnian Serb army also received military equipment and full funding from the FRY. Furthermore, Serbian Radical Party founder and paramilitary Vojislav Šešelj claimed that President Milošević personally asked him to send paramilitaries into Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1995, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević represented the FRY and Bosnian Serbs at peace talks in Dayton, Ohio, US, from 1996, the first public signs of political discord between parts of Montenegrin leadership and the Serbian leadership began to appear. Milošević did not respond to the platform, considering it unconstitutional, by October 2000 Milošević had lost power in Serbia. Subsequent governments of Montenegro carried out policies, and political tensions with Serbia simmered despite political changes in Belgrade
18.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
19.
Americas
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The Americas, also collectively called America, encompass the totality of the continents of North America and South America. Together they make up most of the land in Earths western hemisphere, along with their associated islands, they cover 8% of Earths total surface area and 28. 4% of its land area. The topography is dominated by the American Cordillera, a chain of mountains that runs the length of the west coast. The flatter eastern side of the Americas is dominated by river basins, such as the Amazon, St. Lawrence River / Great Lakes basin, Mississippi. Humans first settled the Americas from Asia between 42,000 and 17,000 years ago, a second migration of Na-Dene speakers followed later from Asia. The subsequent migration of the Inuit into the neoarctic around 3500 BCE completed what is regarded as the settlement by the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The first known European settlement in the Americas was by the Norse explorer Leif Ericson, however, the colonization never became permanent and was later abandoned. The voyages of Christopher Columbus from 1492 to 1502 resulted in permanent contact with European powers, diseases introduced from Europe and Africa devastated the indigenous peoples, and the European powers colonized the Americas. Mass emigration from Europe, including numbers of indentured servants. Decolonization of the Americas began with the American Revolution in 1776, the population is over 1 billion, with over 65% of them living in one of the three most populous countries. As of the beginning of the 2010s, the most populous urban agglomerations are Mexico City, New York, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, all of them megacities. The name America was first recorded in 1507 in the Cosmographiae Introductio, apparently written by Matthias Ringmann and it first applied to both North and South America by Gerardus Mercator in 1538. Amerigen means land of Amerigo and derives from Amerigo and gen, America accorded with the feminine names of Asia, Africa, and Europa. When conceived as a continent, the form is generally the continent of America in the singular. However, without a context, singular America in English commonly refers to the United States of America. In some countries of the world, America is considered a continent encompassing the North America and South America subcontinents, the first inhabitants migrated into the Americas from Asia. Habitation sites are known in Alaska and the Yukon from at least 20,000 years ago, beyond that, the specifics of the Paleo-Indian migration to and throughout the Americas, including the dates and routes traveled, are subject to ongoing research and discussion. Widespread habitation of the Americas occurred during the glacial maximum
20.
Argentina at the 2004 Summer Olympics
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Argentina competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nations twenty-first appearance at the Olympic Games, except for three different editions. Argentina did not attend the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, the sailor Carlos Espínola was the nations flag bearer at the opening ceremony. 152 competitors,106 men and 46 women, took part in 86 events in 22 sports, mens team event –1 team of 12 players Roster The following is the Argentina roster in the mens basketball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. Group play Quarterfinals Semifinals Gold medal game Won gold medal Two competitors joined Argentina for the canoeing flatwater event only, Argentina qualified boats for the following events. Qualification Legend, Q = Qualify to final, q = Qualify to semifinal Omnium Argentina qualified 1 fencer, women Roster The following is the Argentine roster in the mens field hockey tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. ‹See Tfd› Head coach, Marcelo Bielsa * Over-aged player, group play Quarterfinals Semifinals Gold Medal match Won Gold Medal Argentina had one woman competing in artistic gymnastics as an individual. Mens indoor event –1 team of 12 players Roster The following is the Argentine roster in the volleyball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics
21.
Carlos Delfino
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Carlos Francisco Delfino is an Argentine-Italian professional basketball player who plays for Boca Juniors of the Liga Nacional de Básquet. He holds dual citizenship in both Italy and Argentina, standing at 1.98 m, he plays at the small forward and shooting guard positions. He is also noted for his defense and three point shooting skills, Delfino moved to Italy in 2000 and played four seasons in the Italian A-1 League, the first two with Reggio Calabria and the other two seasons with Skipper Bologna. In his first season in Italy, he played for Reggio Calabria, in just under 21 minutes per game he averaged 8.8 points,2.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He scored a season-high 25 points in his game against Scavolini Pesaro. He scored 15 points in just 20 minutes against Cordivari Roseto and tallied 14 points apiece against Paf Bologna, Muller Verona and he hit at least one three-pointer in 19 of 24 games. In his first season with Skipper Bologna, he moved into the lineup in the third game of the season. He scored 18 points, including shooting 3-of-5 from three-point range, versus Euro Roseto and posted double-doubles against Benetton Treviso, Oregon Scientific Cantù and he suffered torn ligaments in his ankle late in the season, but returned in late May. In November 2004, he suffered an injury that kept him on the injured list for over three months. He had an operation in the U. S. and then another in Argentina, however, Delfino did not immediately return to form after his rehabilitation, and was left off the Pistons 2005 playoff roster. After he recovered from the injury, Delfino averaged 15.3 minutes,3.9 points,1.8 rebounds. Many regarded Brown as having limited space for Delfinos offensive creativity and it was perceived that under the Pistons upcoming new coach Flip Saunders, that Delfino would thrive. In his second season on the Pistons active roster, Carlos averaged 10.7 minutes,3.6 points,1.7 rebounds, Delfino played off the bench substituting for either Tayshaun Prince or Richard Hamilton. He had three games where he scored in double digits before being sidelined for the next 4 with the flu. Delfino became an important change-of-pace player in Flip Saunders offensive scheme, on June 15,2007, the Detroit Pistons traded Delfino to the Toronto Raptors for 2nd round draft picks in both the 2009 NBA Draft and the 2011 NBA Draft. The 2007–08 season was his most productive in the NBA, as he averaged 9 points,4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game during the regular season, on June 16,2009, the Toronto Raptors extended a qualifying offer to Delfino. In the summer of 2008, Delfino signed a 3-year contract with the Russian Super League club Khimki Moscow Region. Delfino was one of the highest paid players in Europe, earning about $10 million US dollars per season, plus a house, a car and a driver
22.
Walter Herrmann
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Walter Herrmann Heinrich is an Argentine professional basketball player. He is listed at 69 and 225 lbs and he was a key member of the senior mens Argentine national basketball team that won the gold medal during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Herrmann began his pro career in the top-tier level Argentine League with Olimpia Venado Tuerto in 1996 and he played there until the year 2000. He won two Argentine League slam dunk contests during that time in 1999 and 2000, and the Argentine League Revelation of the Year award in 1999, in 2000, he moved to the Argentine club Atenas Córdoba, and he played there until 2002. With Atenas, he was named the MVP of the Argentine League regular season in 2001, and he spent the 2013–14 season with Atenas de Córdoba. He was the Argentine Leagues MVP in 2014 and he moved to the Argentine League club Obras Sanitarias, for the 2016–17 season. Herrmann moved to the Spanish ACB League club Baloncesto Fuenlabrada for the 2002–03 season and he was named the regular season ACB League MVP that year. He then moved the Spanish club Unicaja Málaga and he played there until the year 2006, then he moved on to the NBA. He returned to the Spanish League in July 2009, when he signed a 4-year contract worth €5.05 million euros net income with Saski Baskonia, the last two years of the contract being team options. In his 13 March games, Herrmann averaged 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, Herrmann finished the 2006–07 NBA season averaging 9.2 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game. Walter scored his NBA career-high 30 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 14, Walter made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team along with his teammate Adam Morrison at the end of the season. After the season was over, the Bobcats activated their team option on Herrmann for the 2007–08 NBA season, on December 14,2007, Herrmann, along with center Primož Brezec, was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for center Nazr Mohammed. On August 2,2008, it was announced that Herrmann had signed a deal to keep him in Detroit for another season. Herrmann spent the 2014–15 season, playing in the top-tier level Brazilian League, with Flamengo, he won the 2014 edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, and the Brazilian Leagues 2014–15 season championship. Herrmann was a key reserve for years on the senior mens Argentine national basketball team, with Argentinas national team, he won the gold medal at the 2001 FIBA Americas Championship. He also won the medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Herrmann also played at the 2006 FIBA World Championship with Argentinas national team, in 2012, he was invited to re-join Argentinas national team. He also played at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, the son of Héctor Herrmann and María Cristina Heinrich, Walter Herrmann is of German descent
23.
Fabricio Oberto
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Fabricio Raúl Jesús Oberto is an Argentine-Italian former professional basketball player. At 6 ft 10 in and 256 pounds, he played as a center, with the LNB club Atenas, in his native Argentina, Oberto began playing professionally in 1993, and later played overseas with teams in Spain and Greece. In 2005, Oberto signed with the San Antonio Spurs, a team of the American National Basketball Association and he is also a former member of the Argentina national basketball team. After 2 seasons with TAU, he moved to Pamesa Valencia in 2002, in 2005, after voiding his contract with Pamesa, Oberto signed a 3-year, US$7.5 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, where he joined fellow Argentine Manu Ginóbili. He kept jersey #7, the number used with the Argentine national team. Oberto was the oldest rookie in Spurs history at the age of 31, during the first year of his NBA stint, Oberto was no longer the key player he had been in Europe, playing less than 9 minutes per game on average. He nonetheless was very satisfied with his role on the Spurs and he also became a pivotal player for the Spurs during the 2006–2007 Western Conference Finals, averaging 31 minutes and 14 points in the first two games of the series. On June 23,2009, Oberto was traded to the Detroit Pistons as a part of a three-team trade among Pistons, Spurs and the Milwaukee Bucks, then he was immediately waived by the Pistons. On August 11,2009, he was signed by the Wizards. Since jersey number 7 was already taken by Andray Blatche, he chose to wear number 21 because of his date and in honor of one of his idols. Oberto once more was part of the Argentine National Team for the 2010 FIBA World Championship, after his solid play during the World Championship in Turkey, he received multiple offers from European teams, most notably Efes Pilsen and Real Madrid. Oberto, however, decided to continue to wait for an opportunity to sign with an NBA team and he eventually reached an agreement to join the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2010–11 season. However, on November 4,2010, after playing five games for Portland, he began experiencing palpitations related to a heart condition. On January 2013, Oberto signed a contract with his team, Atenas de Córdoba. Oberto was hired for the remainder of the season as a replacement for center Julián Aprea, Oberto started playing with Argentine national team shortly before his 20th birthday in 1995, and since then has won a number of tournaments including the 2004 Olympic gold medal match. In July 2011, Oberto announced that he was coming out of retirement to play in the FIBA Americas Championship and he said that doctors had cleared him to participate. However, he could not participate in the 2012 Summer Olympics because of personal problems, Oberto and his wife, Lorena, have a daughter, Julia, who was born in the summer of 2005. He also enjoys playing the guitar and his bands include Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, U2
24.
Luis Scola
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Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa is an Argentine professional basketball player who last played for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. A three-time All-EuroLeague selection with Tau Ceramica, he signed with the Houston Rockets in 2007, later on, he played for the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors. Scola has been a member of the Argentina national team and won an Olympic gold medal in 2004. These successes enabled him to become Argentinas flag bearer at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Scola started his career with the Buenos Aires youth teams of Ferro Carril Oeste. He made his debut with the same clubs pro team in the Argentine league during the 1995–96 season. After the 1997–98 basketball season in the Argentine League, Scola moved to Spain and he was loaned to Gijón Baloncesto, where he helped the then Spanish League Second Division club achieve promotion to the Spanish League First Division. He then was loaned back to Gijón through the 1999–2000 season, before arriving at Baskonia, with Saski Baskonia, Scola reached the EuroLeague Finals in the 2000–01 season, and three consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours, between 2005 and 2007. His outstanding performances earned him an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2005, in the summer of 2005, the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, attempted to negotiate with Baskonia to buy out his contract. After throwing around numbers as large as US$15 million, Baskonia settled on a number of over $3 million for the buyout of the contract, Scola would have been responsible for paying Baskonia the remaining $2.5 million amount of the buyout. When the deal to buy out Scolas contract fell through, the Spurs instead signed an Argentine national team teammate and friend of Scolas and he signed with the Rockets soon after and his sticky buyout situation was resolved a few days later. Scola signed a contract with the Rockets, at a salary of $9.5 million. Scola placed third in the NBA 2007–08 Rookie of the Year Award voting, on March 13,2010, he scored a career high 44 points against the New Jersey Nets. In exchange, the Rockets would have received Pau Gasol, and that night, after other team owners voiced their opposition, league commissioner David Stern nullified the trade. On July 13,2012, he was waived by the Rockets using the leagues amnesty clause to provide salary cap relief, on July 15,2012, Scola was claimed off amnesty waivers by the Phoenix Suns. Reportedly, the Dallas Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers were also interested in acquiring Scola during the amnesty process, on November 21,2012, Scola was relegated to playing off the bench for the first time in his NBA career since the start of his rookie season. He regained his starting spot less than a later, and on December 29. While Scola did become a leader for the Suns, he finished the season with declining averages, on July 27,2013, the Suns traded Scola to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee, and a future second round draft pick. In his two seasons for the Pacers, Scola played a power forward role to David West as he started just 18 games over his two-year stint
25.
Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics
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Italy competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from the 13th to the 29th of August 2004. This nation has competed at every Summer Olympic games in the modern era, the Italian National Olympic Committee sent the nations largest ever delegation in history to the Games. A total of 364 athletes,229 men and 135 women, three Italian archers qualified each for the mens and womens individual archery, and a spot each for both mens and womens teams. Marco Galiazzo earned the first archery gold medal in Italys history, on his way to the final, he defeated countryman Ilario Di Buò in the round of 16. The three men did well enough in the round to receive a bye in the first round of team competition. Italian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the athletics events. Roster Manager,30 – Giampiero Faraone Coaches,8 – Claudio Corradi,12 – Manuel Cortina,27 – Salvatore Varriale, round robin Roster The following is the Italy roster in the mens basketball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. Group play Quarterfinal Semifinal Gold medal game Won silver medal Italy sent six boxers to Athens, both boxers that had matches in the round of 32 won those bouts. Four boxers won in the round of 16 to advance to quarterfinals, only the super heavyweight Roberto Cammarelle survived the quarterfinal round, not falling until the semifinals to win the bronze medal. The combined record of the Italian boxers was 7-6, Men Women Omnium Italian divers qualified for eight individual spots at the 2004 Olympic Games. Men Women # indicates that the score of this rider does not count in the team competition, twelve Italian fencers qualified for the following events, Men Women Roster The following is the Italian squad in the mens football tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. ‹See Tfd› Head coach, Claudio Gentile * Over-aged player, Group play Quarterfinal Semifinal Bronze Medal Final Won bronze medal Men Team Individual finals Women Nine Italian judoka qualified for the following events. Five Italian table tennis players qualified for the following events, three Italian taekwondo jin qualified to compete. Six Italian tennis players qualified to compete in the tennis tournament, Men Women Italy was again represented by three triathletes at the 2004 event, but unlike in the first competition in 2000 all the Italians in 2004 were women. Gemignani, who had been the nations best finisher four years earlier, however, the two Olympic rookies both placed better than Gemignani had in the first race. Roster The following is the Italian roster in the volleyball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. ‹See Tfd› Head coach, Marco Bonitta Group play Quarterfinal Roster The following is the Italian roster in the water polo tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. ‹See Tfd› Head coach, Paolo de Crescenzo Group play 7th-10th Semifinal 7th-8th Place Final Roster The following is the Italian roster in the water polo tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics
26.
Roberto Chiacig
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Roberto Chiacig is an Italian professional basketball player for Gecom Mens Sana 1871 Siena of the Serie B Basket. Playing as a center, his most notable achievement was the medal obtained by Italian national team of which he was a member at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Beyond playing internationally, he also has had a club career in Italy and abroad. Chiacig grew up in the ranks of Benetton Treviso, making his debut for the side in a first division Serie A game on 6 February 1994. After a one-year loan to Serie A2 side Floor Padova, he broke into the first team, the Italian moved abroad in 1996, spending one year with Greek Basket League side AEK Athens. Returning to Italy in 1997, he signed with Teamsystem Bologna, with the Bologna team he would win the Italian Cup and Italian Supercup in 1998. He stayed there until early 1999, finishing the season with Zucchetti Reggio Emilia, Chiacig then spent the 1999-2000 season with Zucchetti Montecatini. Joining Montepaschi Siena in 2000, he spent 6 seasons with the club, winning the 2001–02 FIBA Saporta Cup and he then moved to the Spanish Liga ACB in 2006, with Pamesa Valencia. However he only stayed until February 2007, finishing the season with Pallacanestro Virtus Roma, in 2007, he joined La Fortezza Bologna, rivals of former club Fortitudo. He stayed there for two years, winning the 2008–09 FIBA EuroChallenge, Chiacig then moved to Scafati Basket in 2009, also staying there two years. After another season at Pallacanestro Reggiana, he joined Angelico Biella in September 2012 and he was released after around three months, joining amateur side Costone Siena in January 2013. Chiacig only stayed a month with Costone, signing with Fortitudo Agrigento in February, the next year he had another stint with Scafati Basket. In 2014 Chiacig returned to the club where he had the most success, Mens Sana 1871 Siena, making his international debut with the Italy national basketball team in 1994, he participated in the 1997 Summer Universiade. With the senior national side he took part in a succession of international tournaments and he posted 6,6 points and 3,1 rebounds in nearly 18 minutes per game as Italy won the gold at the EuroBasket 1999. In the EuroBasket 2003, he had 22.1 points and 14.3 rebounds in around 18 minutes as Italy took home bronze, chiacigs last games with the national team came during the EuroBasket 2005. Premio Reverberi, Best Player Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 2nd Class / Grand Officer, conferred on 27 September 2004 by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
27.
Luca Garri
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Luca Garri is an Italian professional basketball player who plays for Derthona Basket of the Italian Serie A2. Garri moved to Don Bosco Livorno aged 15, loaned to Zucchetti Montecatini in 1999-00 and he made his professional debut with Mabo Livorno during the 2000-01 season, in the second division Serie A2, helping the side earn a promotion. He then spent the three seasons in the Serie A with the side. He was loaned to Angelico Biella for 2005-06, refinding his form to more than 11 points per game in leading Biella to the title playoffs. He returned to Roma afterwards but his 2006-07 season with the side was no more successful than his first, Garri then signed a three-year contract with Virtus Bologna in August 2007. After one season in Bologna, he returned to Biella in 2008 on another three-year deal, in July 2010, he moved to Pepsi Caserta on a two-year deal. After spending the 2011-12 season with Cimberio Varese, Garri returned to the second division, in June 2015, Garri joined Derthona Basket of the Serie A2. Garri played for the Italian under-age teams at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship and he made his debut for the senior Italian national team on 1 June 2002, scoring five points against Latvia, gradually working his way into the Italy fold over the next two seasons. The following year, he was in the Italy experimental squad that won the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almeria, Garri was recalled for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, averaging 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in around 12 minutes per game over the tournament. FIBA game center profile Retrieved 31 August 2015 Serie A profile Retrieved 31 August 2015 RealGM profile Retrieved 31 August 2015
28.
Denis Marconato
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Denis Marconato is an Italian professional basketball player currently playing for Dinamo Basket Sassari of the Italian Serie A. He is 211 cm tall and he plays at the center position, Marconato joined Benetton Trevisos youth team in 1990 and with them he won three juniors titles between 1991 and 1994. In the 1996-97 season, he returned to Treviso and Benetton coach Mike DAntoni gave him an important role in the team. After winning the Italian SuperCup title and MVP in 1997 and the Saporta Cup in 1999, in the following years, he won two more Italian championships, three more Italian Cups and played at two Euroleague Final Fours. During his last season with Treviso, Marconato was also the captain of the team, in the summer of 2005, he moved to the Spanish ACB League club FC Barcelona, together with his Italian national team teammate Gianluca Basile. On January 14,2015 he signed with Montichiari of the Serie B Basket, Marconato played in 1994 with the Under-20 junior Italian national team, and he also participated at the Under-22 European Championship held in Istanbul in 1996. In addition, Marconato was also a member of the Italian roster at the World Championship in 2006, the initiative of the President of the Republic
29.
Giacomo Galanda
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Giacomo Jack Galanda is a retired Italian professional basketball player. He was a forward-center of 2.10 m. and 110 kg, Galanda was born in Udine, Friuli. He grew up in the Scaligera Basket Verona junior teams, with which he made his debut in the Italian League on October 17,1993, after four years in the Verona team, he was traded to Fortitudo Bologna. However, in his first year he was utilized as a reserve to Gregor Fučka, in 1998, he was loaned to Pallacanestro Varese, where he was a leader of the team that, surprisingly, won the Italian League championship. Galanda therefore returned to Bologna, where he remained until 2003 and he won two further Italian league championships in 2000 and 2004. In the 2005-06 season, Galanda played with Armani Jeans Milano, from 2006 to 2011, he played for Pallacanestro Varese. In 2011, he signed with Giorgio Tesi Group Pistoia, in May 2014, he announced his retirement. Galanda made his debut with the senior mens Italian national basketball team in 1997, some of his successes with the Azzurri jersey include silver and gold medals at the FIBA EuroBasket, and a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games of Athens. Euroleague. net Profile FIBA. com Profile Eurobasket. com Profile Italian League Profile
30.
Gianluca Basile
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Gianluca Basile is an Italian former professional basketball player. At a height of 1. 92m tall and a weight of 95 kg and he is considered to be one of the best 1990s and 2000s era Italian basketball players. He won the medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. He was also the captain of the senior mens Italian national team, Basile excelled in the role of shooting guard, or point forward, and was a very effective three-point shooter. He invented and named the tiro ignorante, a three-point shot taken under difficult conditions, Basile played four years with Italian club Pallacanestro Reggiana, and seven years with Fortitudo Bologna, with whom he won two Italian League championships, as the teams captain. In 2005, he moved to Spanish club FC Barcelona, in July 2011, he signed a two-year deal with Italian club Pallacanestro Cantù. On July 6,2012, Italian club Emporio Armani Milano, officially announced the signing of Basile and his contract with the team expired on June 30,2013, and he became a free agent. He finished his career with Italian club Orlandina Basket, and last played in the 2015–16 season, note, The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in competition, and regional competition if applicable. He also helped Italy beat Team USA, by a score of 95-78, by scoring 25 points in a pre-Olympic friendly game against the US in 2004
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Gianmarco Pozzecco
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Gianmarco Pozzecco is an Italian professional basketball coach and a former player. He currently serves as an assistant coach of Cedevita Zagreb, in 1999 he won the Italian League and the Italian Supercup with Varese. In 2004 he lost the Euroleague Final Four against Maccabi Tel Aviv and he played from 1999 to 2001 in the Italian All Star Game and in the 1999 McDonald’s Open Championship. In 2001 he tried to join the NBA franchise attending the Summer League with the Toronto Raptors and he had the most assists per game in seven seasons of the Italian League. In 2014, he went back to Varese as a head coach, on July 3,2015, he parted ways with Varese. Day later, on July 4,2015, he signed with the Croatian team Cedevita Zagreb to be the assistant coach. The following year he was part of the Italian squad at the Eurobasket 2005, standing at 1.81 m, he played at the point guard position. He had great skills, court-vision, and shooting ability. He was a full of fantasy, but weak on defense. He was dubbed as an offensive talent. He is famous for his character, and, although it has caused problems for him with coaches through the years. His nicknames are “Poz”, and “La Mosca Atomica”, although he was born in Gorizia and he grew up as a basketball player in Udine, he is from Trieste. NBA star Tim Duncan once said that he was impressed by the Italian player, Gianmarco Pozzecco at draftexpress. com Gianmarco Pozzecco at fiba. com
Angola
United States
Argentina
Puerto Rico
China
Lithuania
Spain
Italy
Australia
New Zealand
Serbia and Montenegro – World champions
Greece – Olympic hosts
Nigeria
Brazil
Japan
South Korea
Russia
Czech Republic
