After the Atlanta Olympic Games a generation change took place in Lithuanian basketball. The relay was taken over by younger representatives of the Lithuanian basketball school. While they hardened and prepared for their greatest victories, a new page was written in the chronicle of victories by the Lithuanian national women’s team who won the European Women‘s Basketball Championship in Hungary in 1997. The Lithuanian basketball players also added to their arsenal of Olympic medals in the third consecutive games in Sydney in 2000. The young yet ambitious Lithuanian national team got Lithuanian on the podium again to take its bronze. Three years later our country’s basketball fans lived to see a still more impressive victory. In Collectors the European Basketball Championship in Sweden in 2003, Lithuania went all the way with success to claim gold for the third time in its basketball history. After an interval of 64 years Coins Lithuania was again the strongest team in the Old Continent! During that time the Lithuanian national team managed to write another two bronze pages in the country’s basketball history, winning the third place in the European Championship in Spain in 2007 and a set of bronze medals in the World Championship in Turkey in 2010 for the first time in its history. COINS DEDICATED TO BASKETBALL These victories not only confirmed that Lithuania deserves being called a basketball country; Denomination 50 litas they raised a hope that the 2011 World Championship would become a real basketball gala Gold Au 999.9 for all fans who love this game. Quality proof Diameter 16.25 mm Weight 3.10 g Linas Kunigėlis Mintage 5 000 Member of the “Euro Basket 2011” Organising Committee Lithuania’s best basketball player A. Sabonis Issued 2011 Denomination 1 litas Alloy of copper and nickel Sculpture “Basketball player” Cu 75%, Ni 25% (sculptor T. Zikaras), 1944 Champion of the European Basketball Diameter 22.30 mm Championship Weight 6.25 g P. Lubinas, 1939 Mintage 1 000 000 Designed by Liudas Parulskis and Giedrius Paulauskis Information is available at the Bank of Lithuania Tel. +370 5 268 0316 Fax +370 5 268 0314 www.lb.lt The coins were minted at the UAB Lithuanian Mint www.lithuanian-mint.lt Lithuanian Collectors Coins COINS DEDICATED TO BASKETBALL President of the Republic of The Euroleague cup won by Champion of the Olympic © Lietuvos bankas, 2011 Lithuania A. Smetona’s gift to the “Žalgiris” basketball players Photographs from the Lithuanian Sports Museum, Lithuanian pressphoto agency Fotodiena, and Games in Munich Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis National Art Museum are used in the booklet Lithuanian national team, the in Munich, 1999 M. Paulauskas, 1972 Published by the Bank of Lithuania, Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius winner of the European Basketball Printed by the UAB “LODVILA”, Sėlių g. 3A, LT-08125 Vilnius Championship, 1939 pringfield University physical education instructor James Naismith, who drew up the In the 1980‘s, a team was fielded in Kaunas, which raised the name of the city and of first rules of a new game, basketball in 1891, just wished to think up an indoor game for Lithuanian basketball to new heights. Led by the brightest all-time basketball star Arvydas Shis students during winter when harsh weather conditions prevent from taking exercise Sabonis, the basketball players of Kaunas “Žalgiris” won the USSR Championship three times outdoors. In the 20th century, basketball crossed the borders of all countries to become a most in turn, twice played in the finals of European cup tournaments in 1985–1987, and brought popular game across the world and a rallying passion and national pride for the population the William Jones Cup to Lithuania in 1986 to become the winner of the world’s best clubs’ of the small country Lithuania located on the Baltic Sea. Symbolically, the 2011 European unofficial championship. Basketball Championship in Lithuania coincides with this game’s 120th anniversary celebration across the world. A few years later, the premier players of the legendary “Žalgiris” will form the kernel of the Lithuanian national team. However, three stars of the-then “Žalgiris” (Arvydas Sabonis, Rimas 23 April 1922 is considered the birthday of Lithuanian basketball. On that day, the first official Kurtinaitis and Valdemaras Chomičius) and the leader of Vilnius “Statyba” Šarūnas Marčiulionis match between the city team and the Lithuanian Physical Education Union’s team took place managed to astonish the entire basketball world as early as before the re-establishment of in Kaunas. The legendary Lithuanian pilot Steponas Darius, who afterwards flew across the Independence. In the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 they brought the USSR team onto the Atlantic together with Stasys Girėnas, contributed to the fame of basketball as well. Through his highest step of the podium of honour, bringing Olympic gold to Lithuania. It was the last time efforts, a basketball rulebook was published in Lithuanian. Since then, interest has been taken that the talented Lithuanian basketball players got to defend the honour of the USSR team. in this game. Winning two European championships before World War Two (in 1937 and 1939) The return of Independent Lithuania’s team to the international basketball world was made the citizens of the re-established state of Lithuania feel full members of Europe. The Lithuanian national men’s basketball impressive: at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games our basketball team, led by A. Sabonis team – the winner of the European and Š. Marčiulionis, won Olympic bronze. For all basketball players and their compatriots this The year 1937 represents the first date in the chronicle of Lithuanian basketballs’ most glorious Basketball Championship in Riga, 1937 meant more than bronze medals. “This bronze medal brings more happiness to me than gold victories. The Lithuanian team went to that year’s championship in Riga as outsiders and at the Seoul Olympiad. I dedicate this medal to all people of Lithuania”, A. Sabonis said after returned as the champions of Europe. Already in the first match Lithuania defeated one the last decisive match. For the first time in the history of Lithuanian basketball a Lithuanian of the-then best teams, Italy, but that was the beginning of the sensation only. The rivals – Estonia, Egypt, Poland and, in the finals, Italy again stumbled against the Lithuanian team one tricolour was raised in the Olympic arena during the awarding ceremony. It was Lithuanian after another. The European Champion’s title was brought to Lithuania. The 1937 victory in basketball‘s official announcement to the entire world: “We are back”. the Riga Sports Hall became as if a starting point, it granted the right to organise the 1939 European Championship in Lithuania. A new arena, Kaunas Sports Hall was built specially for A new generation of basketball players Four years later, the Lithuanian national team repeated its bronze play in the 1996 Atlanta this tournament. While playing at home, Lithuanian basketball players repeated the march grew up after the War. It was to compete Olympic Games having paved its way to a second Olympic bronze in 1995, when it became of triumph to become the champions of Europe for a second consecutive time. The wins in Soviet Union basketball tournaments Europe’s vice champion in Greece. of the men’s team fuelled a real basketball and Lithuanian entire sports boom: sports clubs and wear the red costumes of the USSR and teams were established; new basketball courts and football fields were built. In an effort team. It soon turned out that neither not to lag behind men, women basketball players became silver medallists of the European the War nor occupation destroyed Championship in Rome in 1938. Lithuanian basketball. Lithuania’s best basketball players gathered up into the team of Kaunas Institute of Physical Education to win gold medals at the USSR Championship. Four players of this team: Vytautas Kulakauskas, Kazimieras Petkevičius, Stepas Butautas and Justinas Lagunavičius were selected for the USSR team and returned from the 1947 European Championship in The poster of the European Prague with gold medals. The tradition Basketball Championship started by the group of four was in Kaunas, 1939 subsequently successfully continued by other representatives of the Lithuanian basketball school, such as Modestas Paulauskas, Angelė Rupšienė, etc. As Memorial medal of the European A ticket of the European Basketball members of the USSR team, they won “The Basketball Game“ Basketball Championship in Riga, 1937 Championship in Kaunas, 1939 different awards in European and world by S. Darius, 1926–1927 championships as well as Olympic Games. The Lithuanian national basketball team’s third place medal won in the Photo V. Ščiavinskas rytas“) („Lietuvos V. Photo World Championship, 2010.