I’m all for basketball diplomacy after Armenia’s “Hatis-Yerevan” team beat Turkey’s “Beshiktash” again on December 17th. Our girls are cool – they beat “Beshiktash” in Istanbul 87-64 in November, and beat them again here in Yerevan – 78։72.
If you’re getting all interested, patriotic and stuff, make sure to check out their website – www.hatis.am. Even though there are many foreigners playing in the team, and there aren’t very many in Armenians in the leading cast, meaning the team is more international when it comes to ethnicity, they are really cool as a whole. The team is both very old, meaning “Hatis” existed in Soviet days, but also very young – it was reestablished in August 2009, and it has already made it to the play offs of the European Cup 2009/10. Well done girls!
Along with Nazik Avdalian, our very own World Weightlifting champion (and Gyumri girl at that, which makes me especially proud), the girls are proving – they’re the hope for this country’s future. Well done again, girls!
4 responses so far ↓
nazarian // December 18, 2009 at 8:59 pm |
OK, I am trying to see which team is Hatis and which one is Beshiktash in the photo above. But none of the ladies seem to be of Armenian or Turkish ethnicity.
Am I missing something?
nazarian // December 18, 2009 at 9:02 pm |
OK, I think the ladies in white are Hatis.
Observer // December 18, 2009 at 11:07 pm |
Nazarian, your thinking right :) and it is indeed hard to guess, so good job gessing :)) I don’t think there are many Turks playing on “Beshiktash” side either.
nazarian // December 19, 2009 at 12:12 am |
I knew a few Americans playing in Eurpoean teams. For them it was a way to build experience for an eventual application to play at the NFL. Maybe for these ladies it works similarly – for the Americans to get into the WNBA.
I don’t know about the Serbians. I think they seek better pay and better leadership roles than what’s available in their country.