Vol. 8, No 2, 2010 pp. 149 - 161
UDC 796.323.2(497.1) (410.1)
Original empirical article

THE FIRST BASKETBALL COMPETITIONS IN THE KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA
Slobodan Simović1, Petar D. Pavlović1, Zrinko Grgić2, Kristina Pantelić1
1University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2Croatian Sports Museum, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract.Basketball as a sport was first played among Sokol and school youths in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1919. The first games took place in mid-1922. The first basketball games were held at the regional Sokol competition in Maribor on June 28 and 29, 1922. In the Second Boy's Grammar School in Belgrade, there was a school competition in the school year of 1923/24. As basketball was initially being played by Sokol youngsters and within the Sokol association, it seemed rather logical to have Sokol members as the first initiators and organizers of the first basketball competitions and championships in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The first attempt to host a state level championship was in Skopje on June 28, 1937, when three Sokol teams appeared at this event. The first championship of the Sokol Association of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was held from September 28 to 29, 1940 in Borovo. There were teams from seven different Sokol regions with 170 men and women divided into 15 teams. This first championship was won by the Men's Zagreb team and Women's Belgrade team. The junior championship in both categories was won by the Zagreb Sokol teams.
Key words: Basketball, Sokols, competitions, championship, Yugoslavia

PRVA KOŠARKAŠKA TAKMIČENJA U KRALJEVINI JUGOSLAVIJI
Košarka se na prostorima Kraljevine Jugoslavije počela igrati 1919. godine, među sokolskom i školskom omladinom. Prve utakmice počinju da se odigravaju polovinom 1922. godine. Na Župskom sokolskom sletu, 28. i 29. juna 1922. godine, u Mariboru, održana su takmičenja u košarci, a u Drugoj muškoj beogradskoj gimnaziji je, školske 1923/24. godine, održano prvenstvo škole. Kako se košarka prvo počela igrati među sokolskom omladinom, u sokolskim društvima, logično je da su Sokoli bili inicijatori i organizatori prvih košarkaških takmičenja i prvenstava u Kraljevini Jugoslaviji. Prvi pokušaj da se održi prvenstvo desio se na Sokolskom sletu, 28. juna 1937. godine u Skopju, kada su se takmičile tri sokolske ekipe. Prvo prvenstvo Saveza sokola Kraljevine Jugoslavije je održano 28. i 29. septembra 1940. godine u Borovu. Na takmičenju su učestvovale košarkaške ekipe iz sedam sokolskih župa. Takmičilo se 170 Sokola i Sokolica, raspoređenih u 15 ekipa. Prvenstvo Jugoslavije su osvojili: u kategoriji članova ekipa sokolske župe Zagreb; u kategoriji članica, članice sokolske župe Beograd; u kategoriji naraštajaca, naraštajci iz Zagreba; i u kategoriji naraštajki, naraštajke iz Zagreba.
Ključne reči: košarka, Sokoli, takmičenje, prvenstvo, Jugoslavija