10 YEARS FIBA EUROPE

The tradition of basketball in Serbia dates back to October 1923. It is passed down that the sport was first presented in Belgrade by William A. Wieland, a representative of the Red Cross organisation of the United States. Wieland brought basketball equipment to the Yugoslavian capital and organised basketball classes during his two-month stay.

Several basketball clubs were founded in 1941, with a championship of Belgrade taking place in September the same year. In 1942, the Serbian Basketball and Volleyball Federation was founded, counting 23 member clubs in its first year. The first President was Svetislav Vulovic, a former student of Wieland.

In 1948, the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia was established and the basketball magazine 'Kosarka' was launched as a self-evident reaction to the growing interest in basketball and its fast growth.

Yugoslavia won their first title on international stage at the 1970 World Championship in Ljubljana, also being crowned World Champions in 1978, 1990, 1998 and 2002.

The governing basketball body of the country has since witnessed a rich basketball tradition, including four titles at World Championships and an Olympic gold medal in 1980, but also changes in its recent years. The Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia was succeeded by the Basketball Federation of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006) and the Basketball Federation of Serbia (Kosarkaski Savez Srbije/KSS).

Since 2007, the country participates in international competition under the name of Serbia. While the junior teams had a successful first summer, amassing a total of five gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal, Serbia's senior men's team had a disappointing debut at EuroBasket 2007, not making it past the First Round.

Under the guidance of legendary coach Dusan Ivkovic, a young team has been put together in 2008 for the EuroBasket 2009 qualification games. The team was built around the nucleus of the generation born in 1987 and 1988 that had won all Youth European Championships from 2003 to 2007. Being led by Milos Teodosic, the team went on to win Silver at EuroBasket 2009 and reached the Semi-Finals of the World Championship in 2010.

On club level, Serbian basketball celebrated its biggest success in 1992, as Partizan Belgrade won the European Championship for Men's Clubs. In a thrilling and dramatic final against DKV Joventut, Aleksandar Djordjevic was the hero for Partizan making a buzzer-beating three-pointer to secure a 71-70 win and the first title for the club in Europe's top competition.

STATS & FACTS

Date of foundation: 12 December 1948
President: Dragan Djilas
Secretary General: Andrija Kleut
Homepage: www.kss.rs

Registered players:
- Men (including juniors): 18,012
- Women (including juniors): 2,304
Registered clubs: 368
Registered coaches: 1,866

The headquarters of the Serbian Basketball Federation are located in capital Belgrade.

NATIONAL TEAM MEDALS & TITLES*

2007 U16 European Championship Men in Rethimnon, Crete (Greece): Gold
2007 U18 European Championship Men in Madrid (Spain): Gold
2007 U19 World Championship for Men in Novi Sad (Serbia): Gold
2007 U20 European Championship Men in Nova Gorica (Slovenia): Gold
2007 U18 European Championship Women in Novi Sad (Serbia): Gold
2007 U19 World Championship for Women in Bratislava (Slovak Republic): Bronze
2007 U20 European Championship Women in Sofia (Bulgaria): Silver
2008 U20 European Championship Men in Riga (Latvia): Gold
2008 U20 European Championship Women in Chieti, Sulmona, Pescara (Italy): Bronze
2009 U16 European Championship Men in Kaunas (Lithuania): Bronze
2009 U18 European Championship Men in Metz (France): Gold
2009 EuroBasket in Bydgoszcz, Lodz, Wroclaw, Katowice, Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw (Poland): Silver
2011 U18 European Championship Men in Wroclaw (Poland): Silver
2011 U19 World Championship for Men in Liepaja, Valmiera, Riga (Latvia): Silver
2012 U18 European Championship Men in in Liepaja (Latvia), Vilnius (Lithuania): Bronze
2012 U16 European Championship Men in Ventspils (Latvia), Panevezys, Vilnius (Lithuania): Bronze
2012 U18 European Championship Women in Bucharest (Romania): Bronze

*medals and titles won by Yugoslavia and by Serbia and Montenegro are not included

Yugoslavia's women's national team won the silver medal at the 1978 European Championship for Women, one of nine medals the country clinched in international women's competitions. Serbia hope to follow in the tradition when they step out at EuroBasket Women 2013.