• Українська
  • Русский
  • English
Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

No Problems with Outsiders

30 November, 1999 - 00:00

The qualification tournament for the 2001 world basketball championship started last Wednesday. The national teams of Ukraine (both men’s and women’s) played their first matches at home. So, before “the hit of the season,” the Dynamo vs. Real soccer match, basketball fans had a nice chance to unwind in the warm and cozy Palace of Sports, right next to the stadium. First to come on the court were the women’s teams of Ukraine and Croatia. Unlike the Croatian men’s team, the women has never achieved great success and hence cannot be called a championship favorite. For we still remember the 1995 European championship where the Ukrainian women’s team won. Although many players of that team have already finished their sports career, the leaders are still in the lineup. The best proof of this is the team’s playing coach Maryna Tkachenko. The Ukrainians gained territorial and technical superiority in the very first minutes of the game. Our girls excelled in virtually everything: from forming an impenetrable defensive line to launching flashing counterattacks. Ms. Tkachenko, as befits a leader, was the team’s best that day. The rivals were pulverized 86:46. The Ukrainian men’s team took on the national team of Iceland, an outsider in the group. Yet, in contrast to the women’s match, this game tickled our fancy almost to the end. Only a final burst of energy by the team ensured it the convincing victory of 66:44.

Rubric: