# Balkan Basketball Championship

The Balkan Basketball Championship, sometimes referred to as the Balkan Basketball Cup or the Balkan Basketball Games, is the defunct competition that was the men's basketball competition added in 1959 to the Balkan Games that started in 1929. The purpose of the "Balkan Games" was to strengthen the relations between the nations of the Balkans region. The Balkan Games were a collection of athletics competitions added to the event over the years.

## History

The first men's basketball competition took place in Bucharest, in 1959. At the time, basketball was considered to be an important activity by the countries that competed in it. The best players from the Balkans region often competed at the tournament. Interest in the championship waned, and it was eventually cancelled. The last basketball tournament was held at Skopje, in 1990.

## Results

| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze | 4th Place | 5th Place | 6th Place |
| 1959 | Bucharest | Bulgaria | Yugoslavia | Romania | Albania | — | — |
| 1960 | Sofia | Bulgaria | Yugoslavia | Romania | Turkey | Albania | — |
| 1961 | Skopje | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Romania | Turkey | — | — |
| 1962 | Istanbul | Yugoslavia | Turkey | Bulgaria | Romania | Greece | — |
| 1963 | Athens | Yugoslavia | Greece | Bulgaria | Romania | Turkey | — |
| 1964 | Bucharest | Yugoslavia | Romania | Greece | Bulgaria | Turkey | — |
| 1965 | Tirana | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Turkey | Romania | Albania | — |
| 1966 | Sofia | Yugoslavia | Romania | Greece | Bulgaria | Turkey | — |
| 1967 | Skopje | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Greece | Romania | Turkey | — |
| 1968 | İzmir | Yugoslavia | Romania | Turkey | Bulgaria | Greece | — |
| 1969 | Thessaloniki | Yugoslavia | Greece | Romania | Bulgaria | Turkey | — |
| 1970 | Bucharest | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Romania | Greece | — | — |
| 1971 | Vidin | Bulgaria | Yugoslavia | Turkey | Greece | Romania | — |
| 1972 | Sarajevo | Yugoslavia | Greece | Romania | Bulgaria | Turkey | — |
| 1973 | Istanbul | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Romania | Turkey | Greece | — |
| 1974 | Thessaloniki | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Romania | Greece | — | — |
| 1975 | Bucharest | Yugoslavia | Romania | Bulgaria | Greece | — | — |
| 1976 | Burgas | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Greece | Romania | — | — |
| 1977 | Skopje | Yugoslavia | Romania | Greece | Bulgaria | Turkey | — |
| 1978 | Ankara | Yugoslavia | Romania | Bulgaria | Greece | Turkey | — |
| 1979 | Athens | Greece | Yugoslavia | Turkey | Romania | Bulgaria | — |
| 1980 | Cluj-Napoca | Yugoslavia | Romania | Greece | Bulgaria | Turkey | — |
| 1981 | Sofia | Turkey | Bulgaria | Greece | Romania | Yugoslavia | — |
| 1982 | Istanbul | Yugoslavia | Turkey | Bulgaria | Romania | Greece | — |
| 1983 | Titov Vrbas | Yugoslavia | Greece | Turkey | Bulgaria | Romania | — |
| 1984 | Athens | Bulgaria | Yugoslavia | Greece | Romania | — | — |
| 1985 | Bucharest | Yugoslavia | Turkey | Greece | Romania | Bulgaria | — |
| 1986 | Sofia | Greece | Bulgaria | Romania | Yugoslavia | — | — |
| 1988 | Antalya | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | Turkey | Greece | Romania | — |
| 1990 | Skopje | Yugoslavia | Romania | Bulgaria | Greece | Turkey | Albania |

## Medals (1959-1990)

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Yugoslavia | 23 | 5 | 0 | 28 |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 4 | 10 | 6 | 20 |
| 3 | Greece | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 |
| 4 | Turkey | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 5 | Romania | 0 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| Totals (5 entries) | Totals (5 entries) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 90 |

## Sources

* Athletic Echo Newspaper 14 September 1979 page 5 (in Greek)