FIBA Olympic Qualifier: Our Middle Eastern roots

[by Gustavo CARDOSO] - I got all caught up with the vibe of the FIBA Asia Cup, and the fact that some Middle Eastern Clubs have been doing so well, especially Al Riyadi, which is from Beirut, a city that has been under siege for quite a while now. Unfortunately, in the beginning of this week, international news agencies reverberated what no one wanted to hear: the intensification of violence in one of the most beautiful cities, and countries of the world.

So what does this have to do with basketball? Well, I guess I want to pay my homage to the fellow Lebanese, and talking about them and their influence on Brazilian basketball is the best thing that I can in order to do so. Lebanon and Brazil will face each other in the first round of the FIBA Olympic Qualifier next July, and there are a few things not many people know (at least non Brazilian, non Lebanese, and non Syrian citizens) that I want to share with you about the game, and these two countries.

By the end of the 19th century the first Lebanese arrived in Brazilian ports, running away from the unstable times during the hindmost years of the Ottoman Empire. Back then the region where Lebanon is today was part of Greater Syria, a region that comprised what we now know as Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Palestine, and even Cyprus.

As with the adventurous Phoenicians, who lived in what is known today as Lebanon and who traveled across the world in their infamous ships, Middle Eastern immigrants of the 20th century reached South America and other regions of the world in boats, and vessels of all kinds coming from European trading ports such as Marseille. There they would empty their pockets before packing up with goods to sell in Brazil or whatever else they intended to land.

Yes, different from most European immigrants, who came to the American continent with the intent of working the land, the Lebanese had an entrepreneurial feel to commerce. And this endowment, as time went by, proved to have close knits with basketball.

As successful businessman, these immigrants, and their Brazilian born next generation began to invest in facilities where their communities could gather and enjoy the family environment within their fellow countrymen. It was not before the 70’s and 80’s that men such as Ruy Dip, started to put the names of Lebanese and Syrian people in institutions such as Esporte Clube Sírio (Syrian Sports Club), and Clube Atlético Monte Líbano (Mount Lebanon Athletic Club), that became powerhouses of Brazilian basketball.

The strength of those clubs faded away in the 90’s as basketball teams, but in that same decade another prominent figure of Lebanese descent came into play in the world of Brazilian hoops: Chaim Zaher.

Chaim, a successful Lebanese entrepreneur that arrived in Brazil when he was 7 years old, decided to invest in basketball through his business venture Sistema de Ensino COC (a chain of private high schools, and universities) creating one of the most successful basketball clubs in the recent history of Brazilian basketball. Through COC’s program players like Alex Garcia, Paulo Prestes, and other local talents started to make a name for themselves.

Chaim is out of basketball since a couple of years back, but as one can observe by now we couldn’t rest without a Lebanese feel to our game. So now Brazilian players and coaches are finding in Lebanon and Syria opportunities to extend their professional careers. Adriano Machado, who now plays with Uberlandia, had a short stint at a Lebanese club, and players such as Edu Caviglia, and Dedé Barbosa were there for a while longer not long ago. They also are by products of Lebanon and Syria, sons of Middle East immigrants in Brazil. It is also important to note Adriano Geralde’s participation as a head coach for Lebanon’s U19 squad in last year’s FIBA WC for that age.

So yes, I don’t think you have imagined Brazil had such a close relationship with Lebanon, and now I hope you understand why I jumped into writing about Middle Eastern hoops out of the blue. In two months time both countries will enter an arena in Athens, and “battle” for a spot in the Olympics, but as with many Brazilians like me who have so much influence from Lebanon and Syria in their lives, I just wished that this was the only battle Lebanese people had to deal with.

Basketball: One World, One Game!

PEACE!